In this issue

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

St Paul’s Master Chef
I had the pleasure of being invited to Mrs O’Meara’s Food Technology class where the class was in the final minutes of their ‘Master Chef’ competition.  The class had produced an impressive array of cakes.  Congratulations to Tabitha Cooper on being selected as Master Chef Champion.  I know the judges Ms Enders and Ms Witney had a difficult time deciding on the winner.  The enthusiasm and excitement within the classroom were plain for all to see.

Congratulations to our Master Chef champion, Tabitha Cooper.

Farewell Taryn Browne
Taryn is leaving at the end of term to take up a position at Loy Yang.  While we are excited for the opportunities this position offers for Taryn we are sorry to see her leave.  Taryn’s unflappable, kind and caring nature will be greatly missed by students and staff alike.  We wish her all the very best and every success.

Warragul Year 10 Visit
Thank you to Ms Kirsten Enders and Mrs Age Percy (Warragul) for organising the visit which is described later in this newsletter.  The combined SEISA trials that happen each term provide extra opportunities for our students from both campuses to mix and get to know each other.  The 2019 Year 10s have been meeting each other since Year 7, on camps and whole school assembly events.  They will join together again for the Year 10 Careers Conference early next term, before entering the final stages of our transition program at the end of year.  They are already developing as a single year level!

Holidays
As this is the last Grammarian prior to the mid-year break may I wish all students and their families a safe and restful time.

Please Note:
The last day of school is Friday 21 June and finishes at the normal time.
The office will be open on the last Friday of the school holidays on Friday 12 July from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and resumes normal hours on Monday 15 July.
School resumes on Tuesday 16 July with staff undergoing professional development on Monday 15 July.

Stephen Klemke
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

JUNE
17 June Traralgon Campus Ensemble Evening, 7:00 pm
19 June ‘The Addams Family’ Production Rehearsal, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
20 June  DAV Debating
‘The Addams Family’ Production Rehearsal, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
21 June   Boho Friday Fundraiser
End of Term 2, 3:10 pm finish

JULY
14 July  ‘The Addams Family’ Production Weekend Rehearsal, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

YEAR 10 STUDENTS ENJOY TIME TOGETHER

Last week, Warragul and Traralgon Year 10 students met at the Traralgon Campus to enjoy some fun activities, a barbeque lunch and a chance to get to know their fellow Year 10s and prepare them for transitioning together into Year 11.  Students were able to display their creative sides and flair for fashion in their ‘Day at the Race’ newspaper challenge.  It was also a time for them to learn more about their upcoming Careers Conference to be held at Phillip Island (24 to 26 July) and afforded the opportunity for students from our two campuses to trial for SEISA winter teams.

The students displayed good spirit and camaraderie throughout the day.  It was nice to see new friendships being formed, as well as old acquaintances building on their relationships.  Everyone is looking forward to the three days together at conference and it will be an important step in helping students to formalise their plans for the future whilst gaining the most out of their time at St Paul’s.

Kirsten Enders
Head of Year 10
Traralgon Campus

Tessa showcasing the winning ‘Fashions on the Field’ outfit.

Brydie, Eric, Amy and Brodie help Jordan prepare his dashing outfit.

Caydence, Mariam and Isabella help Amelia dress to impress.

SPORT NEWS

SEISA Junior Winter Sport, Rounds 2 and 3
Round 2 saw St Paul’s have convincing wins across all sports against Gippsland Grammar.  Our Round 3 was against Beaconhills Berwick where we took out wins in the mixed hockey and girls soccer and a draw in the boys soccer.  We had several Most Valuable Player awards presented at our assembly today: Jude Henne, Emily Piercy, Cooper Millar, Nikita Buhagiar, Jade Derham, Alannah Rogalsky, Hayato Ochi and Hayden Berton.

ESP – Kaja Tierney
Kaja ran the 10 kilometre race as part of the Traralgon Harriers Marathon weekend.  She competed in the U18 age group where she placed fourth in a time of 52.09.  Being only thirteen years of age Kaja’s result is an awesome achievement.  Currently she is training for ocean swims in Melbourne in preparation for the triathlon season later in the year.

SPARK HOLIDAY PROGRAM – WARRAGUL

We are very excited to share with you the SPARK Holiday Program for July, Warragul.  This is without a doubt the best program we have ever offered.  We have enlisted the help and expertise of a range of providers to ensure that the programs we are offering continue to set the standard for children’s holiday workshops in the area.

We have the team at Gippsbricks in for a LEGO Masters extravaganza on the Tuesday.  Your LEGO lover of any age can choose between a morning session or a whole day program.

In response to parent and children requests, we are pleased to offer a First Aid Course for children on Wednesday morning.  In the afternoon we will have a collaboration class with Amazon Fitness and Maha Strength and Yoga.  If you are too little for these classes there is a SPARK sport session just for you!

On Thursday there is a Space inspired art session for our little astronauts, a basketball clinic and clay animation workshop on offer for everyone.

Friday sees us move the SPARK Holiday Program for the very first time to an alternative venue.  We could not resist the opportunity to spend the day working in the state of the art facilities at the West Gippsland Arts Centre.  Working alongside the Warragul Youth Theatre and the West Gippsland Arts Centre staff, participants will spend the day in the theatre, before performing on the main stage for their family and friends.

Bookings for this program opened on Friday 7 June.  We expect some of these workshops will fill very quickly so get in quick to reserve a space for your child!  https://www.trybooking.com/BDBLS

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Payments – Third Instalment
Families paying tuition fees in four instalments should note that the third instalment was due on Friday 7 June 2019.  Any families wishing to discuss any aspect of their account should contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

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 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/transport/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 16 August 2019 for claiming in Term 3.

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 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx
Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately.  The CSEF program for 2019 closes on 28 June 2019.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2018 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2019), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2018 to 2019 on the CSEF system.  The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

BOHO FRIDAY

Traralgon Junior and Secondary School students are invited to attend ‘Boho Friday for Ponilala’ taking place during both secondary and junior lunchtimes at the Secondary School on Friday 21 June.  This is the fundraising activity for East Timor we have run in the past, where students can have their nails done, hair braided or feathered and henna body art or tattoos done (Year 3 and above only are recommended for tattoos).

The money raised will go towards building new school rooms at the school we built and support in Ponilala Village.

A parent consent form will need to be signed for students under thirteen to receive henna body art.  This will be handed out in class closer to the day.  However we would advise students who have a skin condition or sensitive skin not to have one, in case of reaction.  We will also run our Fair Trade stall, with goods from $1 through to $25 including bags, jewellery, purses, scrunchies, caps, baskets and more, all made in East Timor.

If you have any queries or would like to know more, please contact Kirsten Enders on 5175 9222 or by email at kenders@stpaulags.vic.edu.au

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: $ ____________

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

Semester 1 is coming to a close quickly with only one week remaining!

Australian Education Award Finalist!
We were delighted to be announced as a finalist for the Best STEM Program in the Australian Education Awards.  Under the guidance of STEM Coordinator, Ms Traceye Rapinett, our STEM program has gone from strength-to-strength since it was introduced in the Junior School in 2016.   This is huge achievement and wonderful recognition of the dedication and hard work Traceye and the Junior School staff have put into providing and growing, this wonderful program for all of our ELC to Year 6 students.  Winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony in Sydney on Friday 16 August.  Well done everyone, this is an outstanding achievement!

A huge congratulations to everyone involved in our Performing Arts Concert recently.  With over one hundred and ninety students performing, it was fantastic to see so many of our students take up the opportunity to showcase their talents.  It was wonderful to be back at the refurbished West Gippsland Arts Centre!  I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mrs Bramstedt, Mrs Browne and Mrs Leighton for all of their hard work and positive energy that they put into the concert.  I would also like to thank the Junior and Secondary School staff and students for assisting at the concert and congratulate and thank our Year 6 Leaders for hosting the evening and for all of their hard work supporting students in the concert.  Finally, thank you to all of the students for their hard work, passion and dedication.  We have always said that the aim of this concert is ‘participation and enjoyment’ and to provide students with the opportunity to ‘perform’.  It also gives our students a chance to show their family and friends what they have been doing in the Performing Arts classes and Clubs during Terms 1 and 2.

Congratulations to the following students:  Annabella Denton, Lachlan Rosato, James Denton, Bill De Araugo, Taz Davidson, Amelia Crossley, Ruby Logan and Braeden van de Beek who represented our Junior School and competed at the Regional Cross Country at Lardner Park last week.

On Wednesday, I will be heading off on our biennial Canberra Educational Tour with forty-two Years 5 and 6 students, Miss McGrath, Mr Beamish and Mrs Farr.  This year twenty-five Traralgon Junior School students will join us on the tour with Mrs Hunter and Miss Olivier.  It is a wonderful tour with visits to The Australian Institute of Sport, Questacon Science and Technology Centre, Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House and Electoral Education Centre, Australian War Memorial and National Museum, National Capital Exhibition at Regatta Point, Parliament House Guided Tour and Education Program, National Gallery, High Court and Embassies Drive tour, the Mint and Mount Ainslie Lookout.  We will also enjoy night time activities including ten pin bowling and a movie night.  We return on Saturday evening and hope to continue to run this optional tour for our Years 5 and 6 students with the Traralgon Junior School in the future.

Parents are reminded that Semester 1 reports will be sent home with students next Friday.  If for some reason you do not receive your child’s report, I ask that you contact the Junior School office as soon as possible.  For families heading away on holidays prior to the end of semester, reports will be mailed to you.  Alternatively, if you would rather we keep them at school for you to collect at the beginning of next term, please let us know.  As stated on the front cover of reports, you can request to be provided with written information that clearly shows your child’s achievement in comparison to that of other students in their year level.  Students who are attending the Canberra tour will be able to collect reports when we return on Saturday evening or parents are welcome to collect them from the office on Friday after school.

As this is the final newsletter for this term I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Bramstedt and Mrs Leighton who have been filling in for Mrs Davies, and Mrs Denton who has been filling in for Miss Begg while they have been on long service leave this term.  We also wish Mr Barkla and Mrs Bristowe all the best as they take some well-deserved long service leave at the beginning of Term 3.

Headspace Parent Session
On Wednesday 17 July starting at 7:00 pm we are pleased to welcome Headspace to St Paul’s to run a parent session for our community.  This session will be held in the Science Centre Lecture Theatre starting at 7:00 pm.  Further details will be available in the next edition of the Grammarian.

I would also like to thank to all of our Junior School students and staff for their hard work this semester.  Thanks also to all of the parents, grandparents and friends who have assisted in classrooms, with special events or on excursions.  I wish everyone a safe and happy three week break and for families looking for something for their children to do during Week 3, I encourage you to look at our SPARK Holiday Program which has range of wonderful activities on offer!

I look forward to seeing everyone when students return for Term 3 on Tuesday 16 July.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

JUNE
18 June  Year 4 Excursion – Morwell Immigration Park
19 to 22 June  Canberra Tour
19 June  Year 2 Learning Expo
Winter Round Robin, Division, Football team only
20 June  Year 1 Learning Expo
21 June  Crazy Hair and Sock Day
Reports Distributed
End of Term 2, 3:20 pm finish

JULY
16 July  Term 3, Students Commence
17 to 19 July  Year 4 Camp, Phillip Island Adventure Park

AUGUST
7 to 9 August  Ski Camp, Mt Buller
8 August  Years 3 and 4 Soirée, Prideaux Centre
12 August  Years 3 and 4 Hoop Time
23 August  Year 7 2020 Friendship Day
24 August  Tournament Of Minds
28 August  Public Speaking Competition
Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
29 August  Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm

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: $ ____________

SPARK HOLIDAY PROGRAM

We are very excited to share with you the SPARK Holiday Program for July.  This is without a doubt the best program we have ever offered.  We have enlisted the help and expertise of a range of providers to ensure that the programs we are offering continue to set the standard for children’s holiday workshops in the area.

We have the team at Gippsbricks in for a LEGO Masters extravaganza on the Tuesday.  Your LEGO lover of any age can choose between a morning session or a whole day program.

In response to parent and children requests, we are pleased to offer a First Aid Course for children on Wednesday morning.  In the afternoon we will have a collaboration class with Amazon Fitness and Maha Strength and Yoga.  If you are too little for these classes there is a SPARK sport session just for you!

On Thursday there is a Space inspired art session for our little astronauts, a basketball clinic and clay animation workshop on offer for everyone.

Friday sees us move the SPARK Holiday Program for the very first time to an alternative venue.  We could not resist the opportunity to spend the day working in the state of the art facilities at the West Gippsland Arts Centre.  Working alongside the Warragul Youth Theatre and the West Gippsland Arts Centre staff, participants will spend the day in the theatre, before performing on the main stage for their family and friends.

Bookings for this program opened on Friday 7 June.  We expect some of these workshops will fill very quickly so get in quick to reserve a space for your child!  https://www.trybooking.com/BDBLS

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Payments – Third Instalment
Families paying tuition fees in four instalments should note that the third instalment was due on Friday 7 June 2019.  Any families wishing to discuss any aspect of their account should contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

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 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/transport/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 16 August 2019 for claiming in Term 3.

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 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx
Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately.  The CSEF program for 2019 closes on 28 June 2019.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2018 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2019), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2018 to 2019 on the CSEF system.  The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

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

Last week we held two of my favourite events on the St Paul’s calendar, the House Mini Olympics and Centrepiece.  I am sure it is not right to say that you have a favourite event or favourites when you are in my position and when you work at a school that offers such an incredible range of events and experiences for our students, but these two are hard to top but for very different reasons.  For those families new to St Paul’s or the Secondary School the Mini Olympics is held in the gym during our pastoral block.  Each year the events change and this year students competed for their house in Scattergories, the River Rapid Crossing, Quoits, the Shuffle Bum, Handball and the Human Knot;  a wide range of activities which allowed students with unique talents to shine.  The reason I say that the Mini Olympics is a highlight is because our whole secondary school participates in this event.  Not only is it a lot of fun it is also amazing to watch all year levels in the gym together working in teams, harmoniously and all toward a common goal which is to gain house points.  Congratulations to all of our students who participated and thank you for once again making it a highlight on the house events calendar.  Centrepiece is an entirely different event.  It involves months of preparation, an audition process and a select group who represent our school on the big stage at the West Gippsland Arts Centre.  This event is a showcase of talent and I am in awe each time I attend this event.  Unlike the House Mini Olympics, Centrepiece is a professional production and a wonderful opportunity for students to perform in a specialised venue.  I was very proud to watch our students in action last week and thank you to all of the wonderful staff who made both events possible.

Holidays are only a week away and I would like to wish all of our families a safe and restful break.  We will finish Term 2 on Friday 21 June at 3:30 pm.

Headspace Parent Session 
On Wednesday 17 July starting at 7:00 pm we are pleased to welcome Headspace to St Paul’s to run a parent session for our community.  As mentioned in the previous edition of the Grammarian, Headspace are presenting to all of our year levels and we would like to offer the same opportunity to our parent body.  This session will be held in the Science Centre Lecture Theatre starting at 7:00 pm.  Further details will be available in the next edition of the Grammarian.

Senior Years’ Information Evening – Years 10, 11 and 12
Term 3 will mark the start of our subject selection planning for 2020.  This year we will be holding a Senior Years’ Information Evening which will involve current Years 9, 10 and 11 students.  This is a change to previous years where a separate night has been held for our Year 9 students transitioning to Year 10.  A small number of our Year 10 students may request to study a VCE subject early in Year 10 and may be eligible to do so (this is not necessarily recommended and strict criteria apply) but in order for all students to make informed choices and plan ahead then it is necessary that all parents of current Years 9, 10 and 11 students have access to teaching staff to discuss their options.  This evening will provide this opportunity and an information session will be held for each year level as well.  This event will be held on Tuesday 30 July.  The information sessions will be held upstairs in the Year 9 Centre:
2020 Year 10 starting at 7:00 pm
2020 Year 11 starting at 7:40 pm
2020 Year 12 starting at 8:15 pm

Each faculty will be represented by staff and a display located on the lower level of the Year 9 Centre and on both levels of the John McIntyre Centre.  This is a very important event on the Term 3 calendar and we ask all affected parents to please note the date and time of the information sessions now.

Ms Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

JUNE
14 June to 1 July  Japan Study Tour
19 June to 21 June  Year 9 City Camp
20 June  SEISA Winter Sport, Junior Finals
Year 12 English Practice Exam, 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
DAV Debating, St Margaret’s School, Berwick, 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm
21 June  Ponilala Friday, 12:55 pm to 1:45 pm
End of Term, 3:30 pm finish
23 June to 1 July  East Timor Tour
22 June to 14 July  Mid-year Holidays
15 July  Student Free Day

CAREERS FORUM

On Thursday 30 May, some past St Paul’s alumni students returned to St Paul’s along with other industry professionals to speak to the current Year 12 students about life after secondary school.  Students gained an insight into the workforce, the highs and lows of the daily work routine, the passion that these presenters have for each field and the reality of the real world.

The list of speakers and their professions are listed below:
Tahlia Cornwall – Environmental Health Officer
Asheda Weekes and Tim Leeson – Journalist and Editor, Gippslandia
Martha Smith – Early Years Education
Carley Slate – Paramedic/Nursing
Erin Nash – Marketing
Adrian Salvatore – Finance

We thank all presenters for giving up their time and for their words of wisdom and Ms Christie Bransgrove for helping to organise this event.

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

Carley Slate.

Erin Nash.

Adrian Salvatore.

YEAR 10 STUDENTS ENJOY TIME TOGETHER

Last week, Warragul and Traralgon Year 10 students met at the Traralgon Campus to enjoy some fun activities, a barbeque lunch and a chance to get to know their fellow Year 10s and prepare them for transitioning together into Year 11.  Students were able to display their creative sides and flair for fashion in their ‘Day at the Race’ newspaper challenge.  It was also a time for them to learn more about their upcoming Careers Conference to be held at Phillip Island (24 to 26 July) and afforded the opportunity for students from our two campuses to trial for SEISA winter teams.

The students displayed good spirit and camaraderie throughout the day.  It was nice to see new friendships being formed, as well as old acquaintances building on their relationships.  Everyone is looking forward to the three days together at the conference and it will be an important step in helping students to formalise their plans for the future whilst gaining the most out of their time at St Paul’s.

Kirsten Enders
Head of Year 10
Traralgon Campus

Tessa showcasing the winning ‘Fashions on the Field’ outfit.

Brydie, Eric, Amy and Brodie help Jordan prepare his dashing outfit.

Caydence, Mariam and Isabella help Amelia dress to impress.

SPORT AEROBICS SUCCESS

Congratulations to the St Paul’s Sport Aerobics teams (Saintly Ladies and Saintly Angels) who have qualified for the Sport Aerobics National Championships.  On Saturday 1 June, both teams competed at the state finals in Geelong.  Both the Saintly Ladies Senior team and the Saintly Angels Junior team placed third in their divisions, qualifying for the national event.

Harriett Parkinson and Holly Norris also represented St Paul’s in the individual competition.  Harriett placed fourth in this competition followed by Holly in fifth.

The state finals are in August on the Gold Coast.  Good luck!

Melissa Hoskings
Head of Sport – Warragul Campus

Saintly Angels.

Saintly Ladies with alumni coaches Jemma Douglas and Bella Fraser.

SPARK HOLIDAY PROGRAM

We are very excited to share with you the SPARK Holiday Program for July.  This is without a doubt the best program we have ever offered.  We have enlisted the help and expertise of a range of providers to ensure that the programs we are offering continue to set the standard for children’s holiday workshops in the area.

We have the team at Gippsbricks in for a LEGO Masters extravaganza on the Tuesday.  Your LEGO lover of any age can choose between a morning session or a whole day program.

In response to parent and children requests, we are pleased to offer a First Aid Course for children on Wednesday morning.  In the afternoon we will have a collaboration class with Amazon Fitness and Maha Strength and Yoga.  If you are too little for these classes there is a SPARK sport session just for you!

On Thursday there is a Space inspired art session for our little astronauts, a basketball clinic and clay animation workshop on offer for everyone.

Friday sees us move the SPARK Holiday Program for the very first time to an alternative venue.  We could not resist the opportunity to spend the day working in the state of the art facilities at the West Gippsland Arts Centre.  Working alongside the Warragul Youth Theatre and the West Gippsland Arts Centre staff, participants will spend the day in the theatre, before performing on the main stage for their family and friends.

Bookings for this program opened on Friday 7 June.  We expect some of these workshops will fill very quickly so get in quick to reserve a space for your child!  https://www.trybooking.com/BDBLS

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Payments – Third Instalment
Families paying tuition fees in four instalments should note that the third instalment was due on Friday 7 June 2019.  Any families wishing to discuss any aspect of their account should contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

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 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/transport/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 16 August 2019 for claiming in Term 3.

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 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx
Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately.  The CSEF program for 2019 closes on 28 June 2019.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2018 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2019), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2018 to 2019 on the CSEF system.  The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

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

AN AWFUL TRUTH

Have you ever watched a movie that you did not think was that old and been surprised by how bad the special effects were?  Our expectations are so much higher now and we are much harder to impress.  Ironically, it seems to be getting harder to find awe-inspiring experiences in a high tech, image saturated world.  In order to compete for our attention everything has to be bigger and brighter.  Movie special effects are more realistic, rock concerts are more spectacular, computer games are more immersive, everything is designed to ‘wow’ us and the more we see the harder we are to impress.  Even nature’s wonders seem to have lost some of their ability to inspire awe when one of the biggest dangers climbing Mt Everest is getting stuck in the queue at the top!  So does this matter?  Is experiencing awe really that important?  Science suggests that actually it could be!

In our busy lives, seeking awe may be low on our list of priorities.  But we might be underestimating its power.  “One simple prescription can have transformative effects: Look for more daily experiences of awe,” writes the GGSC’s Dacher Keltner.  Recent research suggests that awe can make you happier, healthier, more humble and more connected to the people around you.  (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/eight_reasons_why_awe_makes_your_life_better)

Experiences of awe are also important when it comes to education and personal development.  Helen De Cruz, senior lecturer in Philosophy at Oxford Brookes University explains that “emotions such as awe, wonder or curiosity can help shift our attitudes and make us look at the world in different ways.  Awe is good for science…and that the more a person is capable of feeling awe, the more likely they are to feel a sense of oneness and spirituality, to believe in a creator God, or have spiritual experiences.  Awe makes us less reliant on stereotypes and mental clichés.  We are less likely to take things for granted, accept easy answers, or be open to ambiguity and new ideas.  Awe is good for religion.”

Not long after reading some of this research on awe, I found myself in Melbourne’s CBD with my eldest child and decided that we should do something that might inspire awe in us.  A simple option was to take ourselves up to the top of the Eureka Skydeck at sunset and watch the lights come on all over the suburbs of Melbourne.  What surprised me was the impact this had on our conversation.  As we admired the amazing view, we very naturally moved from superficial chatting to far more meaningful and thoughtful conversation.  It was one of those moments that parents of teenagers treasure.  It seems awe is good for parenting as well!

Despite our growing inurement to spectacles, there are still plenty of opportunities to experience awe.  Sometimes it is simply a matter of consciously choosing to recognise the inherent awe and wonder of something – a view; a work of art; a piece of music; a sporting moment.  It could be as simple as looking with wonder at the night sky with your child; the view which prompted King David to proclaim,  “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:2-4)

May your winter school holidays be filled with warmth, rest, wonder and awe.

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

It was with great pleasure that I attended the Premier’s VCE Awards ceremony last week to celebrate the outstanding achievements of two of St Paul’s highest-achieving scholars from last year’s Year 12 cohort.  Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday 3 June, the awards recognised those students who achieved the highest scores statewide in their VCE subjects last year.  Among them were Janelle Rajasingham (2018 Dux of School) and Cameron Wong (2018 School Captain).  Janelle received the award for English Language, while Cameron was the recipient of the Environmental Science award.  I had the pleasure of catching up with both alumni and their parents over lunch, following the ceremony.  Janelle is studying Medicine at the University of New South Wales.  Cameron is doing a double degree in Engineering and Science at Monash University.  I heartily congratulate them both for their prestigious awards and acknowledge the teachers who have played an important part in assisting Cameron and Janelle throughout their educational journey.

Reflecting on Semester 1, I wish to acknowledge the hard work of our staff and congratulate our students on their efforts, persistence and care for one another so far this year.  We also enjoy great support from our school families and for this we are truly appreciative and grateful.  While classes will not be running during the three-week vacation period, there will still be several school activities occurring, including the Japan study tour, Year 6 Canberra tour and the East Timor tour.  I wish the participating students well and trust that everyone in our community enjoys a safe, refreshing mid-year break.

Cameron Herbert
Principal