In this issue

From the Head of Traralgon Junior School,
Ms Tracey King.

WELCOME BACK TO TERM 3
Students and teachers have enjoyed a very smooth and calm start to Term 3 with students settling into class routines and engaged in lessons.  A very warm welcome back is extended to all of our community and in particular to our new students and families.  The holiday period was a flurry of activity with a number of maintenance activities completed and the redevelopment of the Early Learning Centre play space.

EARLY LEARNING CENTRE PLAYGROUND
It was very exciting watching the ELC playground take shape over the three week holiday period.  Our new playground is wonderful and our children have been delighted with the opportunities for imaginative play on the river rocks, the pathways, the water pump, the mud pit and the amphitheatre.  Our new playground provides an inclusive play space for all children and accommodates all abilities.  The nature-based play elements stimulate curiosity, inquiry and creativity.  We look forward to an official opening in the future when we can share and celebrate this addition to our Early Learning Centre.  I wish to acknowledge the work of the team responsible for the design, planning and building of the playground.  It has been an impressive process and outcome.

COVID-19
The current COVID-19 situation continues to unfold and the health and safety of our students, teachers and families is a priority.  Families are asked to follow school guidelines and requests to keep unwell children at home and not send them to school until they are symptom free.  As per Mr Herbert’s email this week regarding the wearing of face masks, secondary students and staff are encouraged to wear masks whilst at school.  Junior School students will see some teachers wearing masks whilst on yard duty and moving across the school.  As community engagement with masks increases, it will be important for our children to become accustomed to seeing people wearing masks and to have a turn at wearing masks themselves.  Teachers will not be wearing masks during lessons to ensure effective communication can happen.  Junior School students are not required to wear masks however they are welcome to if they wish.

I would like to remind everyone that during this time of COVID-19, unless absolutely necessary, parents are not to be onsite.  If you do need to come onto school grounds please call the Junior School office on 5175 0133 to advise.

Many thanks to parents for their cooperation with restricted parking arrangements and use of the ‘Kiss n Go’ zone.  With patience and courtesy we have been able to have students arrive and depart quickly each day this week.  We do seem to be experiencing some traffic congestion at pick up times especially as we are now also managing exiting traffic from the swimming pool.  To assist with this, parents are able to access the Salvation Army carpark in the afternoons and meet their children there.  Staff will be on duty from 8:45 am and anyone needing to drop their children at school prior to this time can access Before School Care with Camp Australia.  Early Learning Centre parents are able to continue parking and walking their children to the entrance gates for drop off and pick up.

Parents are asked to please notify class teachers of any appointments on the day via email.  When you arrive at the Junior School to collect your child/ren please call the office on 5175 0133.  We will arrange for your child/ren to be at the office and will walk them out to the ‘Kiss n Go’ Zone to meet you.

Many of our usual events are unable to happen at this time and teachers are busy being creative and planning for a range of alternative events and special experiences for our students.  I thank families for their understanding and feedback as we move through the calendar with cancellations and rescheduling due to COVID-19 restrictions.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART
This term, students are gearing up to get involved in the Jump Rope for Heart program.  This is an amazing initiative designed to get our children physically active and fundraising for a worthwhile cause.  Students will be learning and practising a range of individual and partner skills during their designated Physical Education sessions with our new PE teacher, Ms Geerts.  Coming home this week will be information and a guide for parents.  Regular updates and photos will be posted to the MyStPauls Junior School page.  This initiative will culminate in a ‘JUMP OFF DAY’ challenge later in the term.

NATURE KINDER
The Early Learning Centre staff and students have launched their Nature Kinder program this term.  The Nature Kinder program supports the ELC’s overall philosophy, which promotes learning through play and embraces children’s ability to explore, create, problem solve, collaborate and imagine.

Children will be given opportunities to connect to nature within a holistic approach.  Nature Kinder will take place in outdoor spaces within the school grounds.  In this environment children are able to explore trees, bushes, dirt, sticks, seeds and mud, enabling them to use their imaginative and creative skills through play-based education on a weekly basis.  Children will benefit directly by making connections intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically to gain deeper conceptual understandings, increased creativity and spirituality as they engage within the individual learning process.  Nature Kinder encourages each child to discover and explore, whilst respecting the natural environment and learning the importance of caring for nature.  Children are encouraged to acknowledge the connection with the land and respect for the Gunaikurnai people, the original custodians of our land.

This term children are focusing on engaging with and respecting the environment and you may hear your child talk about being green, recycling and looking after our environment and future.  Our ELC children will be engaging in nature kinder and outdoor play and will need to remember their gumboots, coat, beanie and spare clothes every day for Kinder.  Gumboots will be staying at Kinder.

WELLBEING
It has been lovely to greet children each morning on arrival and see happy faces enter school ready for learning.  As the excitement of returning to school settles down and students return to regular school days, I encourage families to be mindful of their child/ren’s mental health and to seek support if there are any concerns.  We are in a time of heightened stress and ongoing change which can be challenging for adults and little people.  Please contact your child’s teachers who will be able to speak with you and refer you to other school support services if needed.

I wish to thank our families for their ongoing patience and support as we navigate the changing restrictions and ever-evolving COVID-19 situation.  It is completely understandable that emotions are heightened and frustrations and concerns are high.  I very much appreciate the feedback I have received from parents and the courtesy and respect being displayed as we work together as a community to ensure that school remains a constant safe and predictable environment for our children.

Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher, Mr Rick Battista or myself if you have any questions; an email or phone call can help save worry, confusion or miscommunication in most instances.   We encourage and enjoy, open lines of communication with our St Paul’s parent community.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

Dobsons ask for your patience while they observe social distancing.  They will have set limits for the number of customers allowed inside for each store.

You can also purchase uniforms via ‘click and collect’ from the Dobsons website for those wishing to have a contactless transaction and you may collect this on trading days.  Dobsons School Uniforms Online

While we find ourselves in highly unusual circumstances in Victoria at present, it has been wonderful from my perspective to be at St Paul’s in Gippsland, with students in all year levels back at school, learning on site and enjoying their start to Term 3.  My hope, which I am sure is shared by almost everyone in our community, is that we are able to continue in this way throughout the semester.  We are ready, however, to respond and do whatever is necessary in the event of a change in the situation.

I thank all families for your ongoing support of our students and our school and wish everyone the best of health and success during the second half of the year.  In my discussions with students and staff, I have found a common sense of purpose and a commitment to one another for the common good.  At times such as these, it is often natural to tend towards negativity and worry.  Working with and for other people, however, can provide us all with great resolve and cohesion, which can help us to deal with the challenges we face and seize the opportunities that eventuate.  I believe that we have done particularly well so far and I look forward to this continuing.

Cameron Herbert
Principal

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mr Brad McCabe.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back all students to Term 3.  I trust and hope staff and students had the chance to slow down and have a break from the computer screen.  It has certainly been an interesting year.  It has been encouraging to see our students establishing a positive start to the term with their learning and keen to catch up with their friends.

I had the pleasure of spending the morning at our recent Year 10 Conference last week.  Bruno Testa and Deb Cumming spent time with the Year 10 students and spoke about careers, Career Wise testing, VCE subjects and expectations.  Our Senior Years’ Virtual Information Session will provide additional information for our students and parents, as well as career counselling.

Once again, thank you for the feedback and thoughts with online learning last term.  It has certainly been an interesting year, with continual changes.  Can I please encourage families that if you have any additional feedback about online learning please contact the school via tgonadmin@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

I wish everyone an enjoyable and safe Term 3.

Brad McCabe
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

Dobsons ask for your patience while they observe social distancing.  They will have set limits for the number of customers allowed inside for each store.

You can also purchase uniforms via ‘click and collect’ from the Dobsons website for those wishing to have a contactless transaction and you may collect this on trading days.  Dobsons School Uniforms Online

COMMERCE SHARK TANK CHALLENGE

Traditionally in Term 2, our Year 10 students challenge themselves to plan and run a small business during our ‘Market Week’.  This is one of the highlights of the term for all students involved, including both junior and secondary students who are customers of these budding businesses.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, our business entrepreneurs adapted their business formats to meet the challenges of entering ‘The Shark Tank.’  This involved presenting their business ideas in an engaging manner to ‘The Sharks’, three staff members including Head of School Brad McCabe, to battle it out for three ‘investment’ amounts of $10,000, $20,000 and $50,000.   The ‘Sharks’ then challenged them with questions about their business operations, marketing and customer base.  The businesses with the most funding were then successful in winning.  It was wonderful to see the innovation and creativity of all involved.  The winners were Jonah Peck, Samuel Shaw and Jordyn Cargill with ‘Fun Kingdom’ in Commerce 1 and Mick Edgar and Brodie Naughton with ‘ShopBotz’ in Commerce 2.

Kirsten Enders
Head of Years 9 and 10
Traralgon Campus

Amity and Jemma present their business ‘Paws Galore’ with help from Remus the school dog.

Jordyn, Jonah and Samuel in their ‘Fun Kingdom’ uniforms.

VISUAL ARTS – “I MADE THAT”

The artworks displayed have been enthusiastically created by Year 7 Slice of Art, Year 8 Art in 3D and Year 10 Visual Art students.  Year 7 Slice of Art students carved their way to success by exploring the possibilities in creating a linocut print.  The theme of the skull was the only restriction to the creativity of students and application of skills learnt.  The Year 8 Art in 3D students relished the chance to get tactile with something other than a keyboard, in the wind-up Cartoons in Clay task.  This introduction to model making and the design skills they can apply to a variety of everyday tasks is clearly evident in the example of final artworks in these photos.  Getting back in the art room and putting paint on canvas was enthusiastically taken up by the Year 10 Visual Art students.  All artworks are a great example of the power of achievement through creating a physical object and proudly saying “I made that”.

Mr Jason Addison
Visual Arts Teacher

Ella Warner (7A), created a skull linocut print in her ‘Slice of Art’ class.

Year 8 students, Ella May and Sophia Hastie’s clay ice-creams.

Ryan Turi’s still-life painting task for his Year 10 ‘Visual Art’ class.

TEAM TIMOR THANK YOU!

On the last day of Term 2, we held a casual dress day and Fairtrade stall to raise funds for the schools we support in the Ermera district of East Timor.   Team Timor and our SRC worked hard to promote the event and run the stall, and with all the support from students and staff we raised the impressive amount of $590.  This money will be used to help build a new English Language classroom in the Malimea Village School.  We also received exciting news that the new classrooms in the Ponilala Village School, built with funds raised by St Paul’s in the last two years, are now functional and being used by students.

On behalf of Team Timor, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you for all your support last term!

Kirsten Enders
Head of Years 9 and 10
Traralgon Campus

Fairtrade stall manned by Team Timor members Kate, Nikita, Alannah and Sarah.

The new classrooms at Ponilala Village School.

Students sitting exams in the new classrooms.

PERFORMING ARTS – HOUSE MUSIC

I am very happy to announce the results for the 2020 ‘House Music Whole Group Performance’ from Term 2:
1.  Chisholm – 185 points
2.  Franklin – 150 points
3.  Lalor – 105 points
4.  Gilmore – 85 points
5.  Monash – 50 points
6.  Paterson – 35 point

Congratulations to all students who participated in House Music this year!

Nathan Byrne
Head of Performing Arts – Traralgon Campus

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

WELCOME TO TERM 3
Welcome to our first newsletter for Term 3.  We also extend a warm welcome to new students and their families who joined our Junior School recently; Georgia Joyce (Year 2M), Jack Morgan (Year 4B) and Kate Joyce (Year 5C).

It has been wonderful that we have been able to remain open and have our students attend on campus.  We have hit the ground running with the students being actively involved in classroom learning and activities.  We continue to modify some activities as we follow protocols and procedures and whilst this can be frustrating at times, we do so for good reason.  I am proud of the way our students and families have adapted to the “new normal” during these times.  I again thank families for their cooperation in ensuring any students feeling unwell are being kept at home and for keeping us in the loop with regards to any students being tested.  As you would be aware, the Premier of Victoria announced on the weekend that all residents of the lockdown areas in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire are to wear face masks when leaving home for any of the four permissible reasons.  As we have a number of Junior School staff who come from these areas (myself included), I spoke to all classes on Wednesday to let the students know that some staff will be wearing masks in the yard and when they are not teaching.  I was able to show them my masks and reassured them that there was no reason to be alarmed when they saw staff wearing these.  All students travelling on buses 1, 2 and 7 will also be required to wear face masks while travelling to and from school.  Please continue to visit the MyStPauls Warragul Junior School page and Year Level pages for updates and information.

SCHOOL PHOTOS
Family (ELC to Year 12) and Junior School photos are still scheduled for Thursday 13 August.  All Years 3 to 6 students will need to be in full winter uniform, including blazers and further information will be sent home in the coming weeks.

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.

Stay safe everyone.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

Dobson asks for your patience while they observe social distancing.  They will have set limits for the number of customers allowed inside for each store.

You can also purchase uniforms via ‘click and collect’ from the Dobsons website for those wishing to have a contactless transaction and you may collect this on trading days.  Dobsons School Uniforms Online

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

SENIOR YEARS’ VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION
The Senior Years’ Virtual Information Session will be held on Tuesday 28 July starting from 5:00 pm.  Unfortunately, we are unable to welcome all of our families onto campus as we normally would but we are pleased to provide you with a virtual experience that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home.  Our 2021 Years 10, 11 and 12 cohorts will be able to access a recorded presentation and a PowerPoint which includes key information that will assist in your child’s subject and pathway planning.  Students and families should watch these presentations after reading the appropriate Course Guide for the year they are entering.  The opportunity to ask questions of individual teachers will not be available, as it normally is but we encourage our students to speak to teachers whilst at school and parents are very welcome to call or email the Head of Faculty for clarification or further information on particular subjects.  The instructions on how to access the Virtual Information Session have been emailed to all families and we hope you find the alternative format for this year informative and useful.
Ms Natalie Bellis,  Head of English,  nbellis@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Graham Dewhurst,  Head of Mathematics and Information Technology,  gadewhurst@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Ben Zanella,  Head of Health, PE and Food Technology,  bzanella@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Ms Nova Doherty,  Head of Visual Art,  ndoherty@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mrs Carissa Kelly,  Head of Science,  ckelly@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Andrew O’Connor,  Head of Commerce and Humanities,  aoconnor@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Chris Staben,  Head of Performing Arts,  crstaben@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mrs Rebecca Crossley,  Head of Japanese,  rcrossley@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Dr Kathleen Dauguet,  Head of French,  kdauguet@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mrs Andrea Terry,  Head of Individual Education Program,  aterry@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

ONGOING PASTORAL CARE AND ACADEMIC MONITORING
As the situation with COVID-19 continues to change daily and the threat of another lockdown on our minds, it is critical that we are a part of the support system for your child/children at St Paul’s.  We are monitoring students daily through our Pastoral Care program, observation and academic tracking but we are also eager to hear from our families if they feel that their child needs extra support during this time.  Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Mentor or Head of Year if you notice any changes in your child or would like a pastoral update on how they are coping socially, emotionally or academically at school.  Our pastoral staff will continue to monitor our students and they will certainly contact you with any concerns.

ReachOut.com has some excellent resources on their website to assist families to support their teens including videos and information sheets:
How to have a great conversation,  https://parents.au.reachout.com/skills-to-build/connecting-and-communicating/things-to-try-effective-communication/how-to-have-a-great-conversation
Tips for supporting a teenager who is stressed,  https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/things-to-try-stress

For Year 12 families Beyond Blue also has a great resource page with tips on surviving the year,  https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/healthy-homes/supporting-study

Students often find Term 3 tougher than the others.  It is ten weeks long, there are no public holidays and the weather is less favourable.  The assessment load for Year 12 is also particularly heavy as they near the end of their year.  It is really important that we work together, access the resources available and care for them a little harder during this term.
Head of Year 12 – Mr Ben Zanella,  bzanella@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 11 – Mr Brad Kooloos,  bbkooloos@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 10 – Mrs Age Percy,  ampercy@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 9 – Mr Peter Willems,  pwillems@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 8 – Mr Scott Armour,  sarmour@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 7 – Mr Matthew Shearing,  mshearing@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

A REMINDER TO STAY HOME IF UNWELL 
In order to keep our school open we are trying to vigilantly follow all protocols and procedures we have in place.  We ask that our families continue to keep any student who has any cold or flu-like symptoms at home.  If your child or any member of your household is tested for COVID-19 we ask that you keep your child (and any siblings) home until the outcome of the test has been communicated.  We would also appreciate notification of testing, both the day of the test and on the day of the result, as soon as it is practical, to ensure that we can minimise the risk of transmission here at school.  The same system is also in place for any students who arrive at school with any symptoms.  They will be isolated and we will contact you immediately to collect them.  Our teaching staff are well aware of how important it is to keep students home and they are ready to support our students who are absent for this reason.

We would like to thank all of our families for your understanding and cooperation in what is an ever-changing world at the moment.

Ms Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

Dobsons ask for your patience while they observe social distancing.  They will have set limits for the number of customers allowed inside for each store.

You can also purchase uniforms via ‘click and collect’ from the Dobsons website for those wishing to have a contactless transaction and you may collect this on trading days.  Dobsons School Uniforms Online

HOUSE TUG OF WAR BEGINS!

On Thursday 16 July, the Years 12, 8 and 7 students kick started the House Tug of War competition for 2020.  With some close battles all day it was great to see the House Spirit at its best!
The winning house for each year level were – Year 12: Chisholm, Year 8: Franklin and Year 7: Paterson.

A big thank you to the VET Sport and Recreation students who assisted in running the Years 7 and 8 Tug of War as part of their assessments and all the staff who were involved.  It is a close contest for the overall Tug of War Title, with the Years 11, 10 and 9 contests still to come.  The scheduled dates for the remaining competitions are:  Thursday 6 August, Pastoral – Year 10, Friday 21 August, Periods 5 and 6 – Year 9 and Thursday 17 September, Pastoral – Year 11.  On the scheduled day, students are required to wear their house sport uniform and meet at the gym for their timeslot.

In 2019, Paterson were the House Tug of War Champions.  Will they defend their title?

Franklin came from behind to win the Year 8 Tug of War.

Alexander from Year 12 leads Lalor.

Year 12 Franklin trying to gain the advantage.

Lalor students Alexia and Scarlett cheer on Chisholm students Calvin and Tip.

TEAM TIMOR THANK YOU!

On the last day of Term 2, SRC and Team Timor held a casual dress day to raise funds for the schools we support in the Ermera district of East Timor.  The money raised has been allocated for buildings, with the Ponilala Pre-Secondary School classrooms now complete and the new project of an English Language classroom in the Malimea Village School our new focus.  We also received exciting news that the new classrooms in Ponilala are now functional and being used by students.  Felix Dejesus, the principal of the Ponilala school recently wrote a thank you message to Team Timor – “Two classes that just built by St Paul’s so important and useful because from that rooms we can create social distance for each students, and very important for Education because without rooms we can’t held teaching and learning process.  As you know that first and second floor the first one use as a class for seven grade but the second floor we use it as library so my students were very happy to study on the second floor so it very important to my students and for their future.”

On behalf of Team Timor, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you for all your support last term.

THE TRAMPOLINE OF JOY.

Jump!
“Jumping on a trampoline
Falling off could be quite mean!
Jumping up with leaps and bounds
Oh how fun that really sounds!”
A poem by Joshua Lacey 

I was watching some kids bouncing on a trampoline recently and it led me to ponder why trampolines are so much fun.  I suspect it is the combination of the physical thrill and sensation of jumping higher than you ever could on your own, paired with the knowledge that when you come back down it will be a soft landing.  The key, of course, is in the trampoline mat.  Without it, the highs would not be as high and the lows would be potentially very painful!  Life can feel a bit like that sometimes.

I think joy, at least in the way the Bible talks about it, can be a bit like a trampoline mat for life.  Author and Pastor, Rick Warren, describes joy as “the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.”  Unlike simple happiness, joy is not dependent on our circumstances.  There are things that make us happy and we should rightly enjoy them.  There are also plenty of things that can bring us sorrow.  While it is perfectly appropriate to feel sad about some things, sadness does not have to defeat us or overwhelm us.  James, the brother of Jesus, writes “My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble.” (James 1:2).  How can we find joy in the midst of sadness?  By being reminded that God is with us, even in our misery and regarding our misery, “this too shall pass” (to quote an ancient Persian saying).

In our current circumstances, in the midst of a global pandemic, it is not always easy to be joyful.  I know that I need to make a conscious choice to remind myself of my reasons for joy.  I need the reminder to lift my eyes from misery and raise my sights to the bigger picture.  It might be a beautiful sunrise, a great song or a funny conversation that shifts my thinking but whatever does it, it acts like a trampoline mat – cushioning my fall, then lifting me up again to new heights.

As we navigate these troubled times together, can I encourage you to take time to be joyful.  Help your kids to find joyful moments.  Acknowledge the worry and sadness of course, but do not let that be the end of the story.  Let the assurance of God’s compassion cushion your fall and the promise of God’s goodness lift you to renewed strength.

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain