In this issue

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

Dear Parents,

I looked at the calendar this week and saw that it was only five months until Christmas Day!  The year is going by quickly and hopefully you have all received your Term 3 ‘What’s On’ to put up on the fridge, or wherever you keep such things.  It seems a little late to say this but “Welcome back everyone for Term 3!”

It has also been good to welcome the eight Chinese students who have joined us for two weeks.  They have taken part in classroom lessons and will do all sorts of ‘Aussie’ activities, from cooking using ‘Wombat Stew’ to visiting Healesville Sanctuary.  It always amazes me how quickly children adapt and accept each other.  They have rattled around the playground with our students and have just been accepted as part of the school while they are here.  It seems such a shame that as we get older, we become so much more conscious of how and if we will fit in.  It is one of the reasons I love working with children.  They accept what goes on around them and have a much less complicated view of life than adults!

In future weeks, there will also be a section in the newsletter from our School Leaders, Alanna and Nicholas.  I have asked them to write their thoughts on a variety of things and they will contribute on a regular basis.  You may have seen from the pictures on MyStPauls that they have visited a different class or year group each week to share a bit about themselves and their role with the younger students.  Now they can share with the whole school community about some aspect of school life, so without further ado:

The View from the Classroom – by Alanna Magee and Nicholas Fenech
Earlier this week we helped to welcome eight Chinese exchange students settle into life at St Paul’s for the next two weeks.  They were all very excited to meet their new buddies and classmates.  Over the next fortnight they will be doing a range of activities both in and out of school.  We are looking forward to seeing them have fun out in the playground with the other students.

Year 6 have planned to plant trees at the wetlands with the Year 7s as part of National Tree Planting Day today.  We are always hostage to the weather at this time of year and the temptation is to leave the wetlands until it is drier and warmer.  We have packed our boots and waterproofs and hopefully the weather will not defeat us.  Many thanks to Sue Magee and the team of parent volunteers who have been helping with the barbeque and the military-style preparations which go into such an event!

It has certainly been a busy start to term and our Prep students have had a strong ‘Farm’ theme so far.  They visited a farm last Friday and were able to see the poddy calves being fed.  This week they have had the exciting arrival of the Henny Penny hatching unit.  I think they have four chickens which have hatched so far and the only problem has been Kira, who has expressed a strong interest in the whole thing.  Chicken is after all one of her favourites, along with cheese, apples, beef…the list goes on.

It was good to see many of you take up the chance to meet with classroom teachers at our PSTIs on Wednesday and Thursday of this week and I hope you found them to be useful.  For 2019, we are looking at moving them forward to the last week of Term 2, so that they are as relevant as possible.

On Monday, the Year 6 students had the chance to meet the author Lucy Christopher.  In a busy week for the Library, some of our youngest students then had a visit from the ‘Flying Bookworm’. Many thanks to Mrs O’Malley for organising these events.  The Library staff are passionate about making reading really come alive and these sorts of events help the children to widen their understanding of what goes in the whole writing and reading process.

On Thursday afternoon, we had the privilege of touring the Year 2 classrooms and seeing the great work they have done in designing, making and advertising their ‘Toy Creations’.  This is the culmination of lots of work in Term 2 and although it is great to have the STEM Centre to work in, this shows the students that they do not have to be in that room to tackle elements such as Science, Design and Technology.  Great job Year 2 – you showed some real creative flair and have worked really hard.

Speaking of Year 2, lots of you have been asking how Ms Steendam is getting on and I am delighted to report that she is home from hospital and is recovering well.  She is even feeling bright enough to send me some cheeky texts and we hope to see her back at school for the start of Week 4.  Many thanks to Ms Sellings for stepping in and providing a seamless transition in the classroom, as she does every Wednesday.

Now if you will excuse me, those fantastic Year 2 toys have inspired me to get down to the shops and start looking for potential toys for our grandchild in December.  Now that is the sort of shopping I enjoy!

Andy McNabb
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

AUGUST
3 August  Years 5 and 6 Hoop Time
Year 7 2019 Friendship Morning
6 August  Art Show week
7 August  Year 5 Camp – Sovereign Hill
8 August  Art Show, 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm
13 August  Book Week
14 August  ICAS Maths Test
15 August   Book Parade and Reading Hour
28 August   ELC Fathers Evening (Pre-Kinder, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm and Pre-Prep, 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm)
29 August  ELC Fathers Evening (Pre-Kinder, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm)
30 August   Junior School Concert | Grandparents Day
31 August   Division Summer Sports (Basketball)
FOSP Father’s Day Stall

CLASS AWARDS

ELC
Nicholas for using the clock he made at Kinder to reflect the times names in our story.
Kyle for his highly creative and detailed block plans and buildings!
Bethany for her engaged and dedicated commitment to her role play and chosen tasks.
Abi for her positive attitude and achievements in new learning challenges.
Aarya for excellent ‘pre-reading’ skills involving pattern cards and designs.
Azaan for willingly assisting his friends on the swing.
Luna for her willingness to persist when attempting to climb the rope ladder.
Chad for his fabulous observation skills:  finding the tarantula had ten legs!
Leo for his dedication to detail in creating our group project background.
Prep V
Prep V for a wonderful excursion to the farm.
Prep S
Prep S for asking lots of great questions at our excursion, getting us ready to learn about farms.
Year 1F
Arlo for his great attitude and sharing his enthusiasm for learning every day!
Mason for making learning choices and setting a great example for everyone in Year 1.  Well done!
Year 2S
Lacey for being capable, organised and always eager to begin work.
Year 2C
Jack for a super toy poster.
Aaliyah for a great holiday recipe.
Year 3BH
Jadyn for creating an informative piece about living, non-living and once living during Science.
Year 3BD
Harper for an excellent effort concentrating and working well during spelling this week.
Year 4O
Declan for the way he has politely and actively taken feedback on board to improve his writing.
Finlay for persisting with the writing process, despite the challenges.
Year 4/5W
Charlie for an excellent beginning to Term 3.  Well done!
Year 5H
Cassie V for showing great learning about decimals on a number line.
Year 6R
Peter for solving some tricky Maths problems.

FOSP NEWS

We have a wonderful offer from Baker’s Delight, as a reward for so many of our families mentioning St Paul’s when they have shopped there.  If you pop into the Junior School office, Carlie has a limited number of rewards cards which entitle you to a free loaf of bread every day for a month!  Collect your card from Carlie to start taking advantage of this free offer.  The starting date for the offer is Thursday 26 July.

LIBRARY NEWS

Lucy Christopher – author visit

Some of our Year 6 students were privileged to be treated with a visit from author Lucy Christopher on Monday.  Lucy is an award-winning author who has written stories set in extreme locations including the Australian Outback and remote islands.

Lucy shared her passion for stories with warmth and enthusiasm, and students were treated to an insight into how an author works, creates, navigates hurdles and builds a writing career.

Students had the opportunity to take part in a workshop where Lucy shared her knowledge of writing and gave the students strategies for developing the setting and plot for their creative writing. The writing produced in the workshops was of an astounding quality and revealed the talent and open mindset of many of our students.

Lucy’s books are now in great demand and we hope this will lead to many enjoyable hours reading for our Year 6 students.

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

Author Visit
Last Monday our Junior and Secondary students were privileged to be treated with a visit from author Lucy Christopher.  Lucy is an award-winning author who has written stories set in extreme locations including the Australian outback and remote islands.

Our secondary students attended a whole school session with Lucy in the gym where she spoke about her books and life as an author.  Students then had the opportunity to take part in small workshops where Lucy shared her knowledge of writing and gave the students strategies for developing the setting and plot of creative writing.  The writing produced in the workshops was of an astounding quality and revealed the talent and open mindset of many of our students.

Lucy shared her passion for stories with warmth and enthusiasm, and students were treated to an insight into how an author works, creates, navigates hurdles and builds a writing career.

A special thank you to our School Librarian Susan O’Malley for organising the visit.  Susan always keeps an eye out for opportunities to enhance the experiences of our students and the Lucy Christopher visit was a prime example.  The feedback from both staff and students was glowing.

Car Park Speed!
We have recently erected new signs to remind motorists in our car park to slow down.  Your child was also asked at our semester welcome assembly to also remind you.  It is unfortunate that we have felt the investment in the signs was necessary.  Please when entering our car park THINK SLOW.

MyStPauls App
Just another reminder, if you haven’t already, try the MyStPauls app.  For notifications of teacher feedback and much more, search MyStPauls in the app or play store.

Stephen Klemke
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

JULY 2018
27 July  Year 10 Camp return, approximately 4:00 pm
31 July  Year 9 Job Skills Expo Excursion, Lardner Park Warragul
31 July  VCE 2019 Information Evening, 7:00 pm, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, Warragul Secondary School

AUGUST 2018
2 August  SEISA Winter Sport, Round 2
3 August  Gymnastics Training, 7:00 am to 8:00 am
3 August  Year 7 2019 Friendship Morning
8 August  Years 10 to 11 Course Counselling, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm
9 August  SEISA Winter Sport, Round 3
10 August  Gymnastics Training, 7:00 am to 8:00 am

JAPAN STUDY TOUR

Recently an enthusiastic group of students and teachers, from both the Warragul and Traralgon Campuses, embarked on a trip to Japan and began their adventures.

On 16 June, seventeen Japanese Language students headed to Tokyo and kick-started the trip of a lifetime, albeit the ten hour flight made the entire experience slightly surreal.  From visiting the bizarre and delightful Harajuku, to the busiest crossing in the world, Shibuya – there was never a moment of boredom.

Further into the first week, after four days of sights like Disneyland, the Studio Ghibli museum, temples and cultural sights, the students headed to the sister school of St Paul’s, Hinode Gakuen.  Thus began what many of the students called the best part of their trip, a five-day homestay with a Japanese family.  From then on began the quintessential Japanese High School experience of experiencing classes, obento lunches and amazing clubs, all thanks to the very accommodating host students and their families.  For many, the end of this short time brought many tears and hugs, the friendships made in this time will never be forgotten.

Then came Hiroshima and Fukuoka, each with their own amazing cultural and social experiences.  From karaoke to shopping, chatting with locals, sightseeing and even feeding deer there was much to do and see.  Additionally, the school visited Chikushi Jogakuen, another sister school where the students delighted in having a traditional tea ceremony.  Finally came Kyoto, the group enjoyed a tour of castles, gardens, shrines and temples ending the day with viewing a cultural concert of traditional puppets, comedy and a geisha performance.

On the last day the group made their way back to Tokyo for their final day’s activity, a wild ride of the Thunder Dolphin, a rollercoaster found at Tokyo Dome.  Then came the long-feared end to the tour, as many simply could not bring themselves to part with the Japan they had come to know and love.

Altogether this tour was beloved by all who went and comes highly recommended!  Those who wish to continue Japanese Language are eligible for this opportunity – so please choose this experience!  Special thanks to Mr Cheswick, Mrs Crossley and Ms Gatti for supervising and coming along on this trip, without their invaluable help there simply would not have been such an adventure available.

Charlotte Innes
Year 11 student

SPORT NEWS

SEISA Cross Country
Last Thursday we took twenty students including some Junior School students to Phillip Island to compete in the SEISA Cross Country.  The course was changed this year due to major works at Newhaven College.  The girls’ course was one lap (3 kilometres) and the boys completed one big lap (5 kilometres) which included two loops.  We were very fortunate that the weather remained sunny though the winds were quite strong.  We had some outstanding performances, with Rachel Jennings taking out the U16 Age Champion.  In U12, Lachlan Speairs 3rd, Kaja Tierney 2nd; U13 Alannah Rogalsky 3rd, Cooper Millar 10th; U14 Kaho Suzuki 4th, Zach Nabulsi 6th; Molly Cargill 9th and U15 Jeremy Bassingthwaighte 10th.  Congratulations to all our students who competed on the day.

ESP Update
During the first week of the holidays, Hollie Bugeja played in a grand final in the Melbourne Waverley Competition for the Ariels Jet Senior team.  It was a hard fought match where the scores were even at the end of the last quarter which meant an extra two six minute halves of overtime had to be played.  Unfortunately for Hollie’s team they ended up losing by just one goal.

Caydence Bezzina was fortunate enough to travel overseas during the school holidays and have the opportunity to compete in the Maltese Nationals during her stay.  She managed to collect two bronze medals in the 200m Individual Medley and the 200m backstroke events in her age group.  Caydence is hoping to compete for Malta next year for a club called Sliema.

Caydence Bezzina.

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

Clay Target Shooting
On 18 June 2018 both Lachlan Balcombe and Julian Wyntjes travelled to Sale to compete in the annual Sale Field and Game Clay Target Shoot.  The event was well managed and attracted one hundred and forty-nine students from ten schools across Victoria.  The shoot was a field and game event with shooters having to shoot targets coming from all directions, even rolling along the ground.  Both Lachlan and Julian shot extremely well, with Lachlan hitting 11 out of 20, while Jules shot 15 out of 20, which was almost enough to place in his category.  We would like to thank the families who drove and supported their children at the event.

The next round is early this term and we wish these boys all the best.

Ben Zanella
Head of Health, Physical Education and Food Technology
Head of Sport – Warragul Campus

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

I am happy to report that the start of Term 3 has been a smooth one with students settling back into routine well.  We welcome Mrs Diane Stewart who is assisting with our Preps for the remainder of the year.  Our Year 3s have already been on an excursion and have begun their Kitchen Garden program, our Soccer A Team competed at Regionals and Year 6G have begun their community service sessions at Amberlea Aged Care, Fairview Village and Lyrebird Village.  Most classes (including some of our Pre-Preps) were involved in National Tree Planting Day today and in partnership with the Baw Baw Shire, planted trees in Brooker Park.  Students are already making good use of the new play area behind the Year 2 building.

Many other incursions and excursions have been planned as the students delve into their units of study.  Should parents feel they have something to offer in terms of expertise or knowledge, I encourage you to contact the relevant year level teachers to discuss further.

Congratulations to Lilly Leighton (Year 6) and Braeden van de Beek (Year 5) who represented St Paul’s at the State Cross Country Championships last Thursday.  Charlotte Bundle and Lucy Williamson (both Year 6) were also selected to compete for St Paul’s at the SEISA Cross Country Competition last week.  A wonderful achievement.

Last week our Year 4s spent three days at the Phillip Island Adventure Camp.  Following a stop at San Remo to see the pelicans being fed, we arrived at camp and participated in a range of activities which included; archery, giant swing, flying fox, photo hunt, low ropes and beachcombing on Smiths Beach, followed by a talk with a local ranger.  The final day included mini Olympics after breakfast followed by a trip to the Nobbies where we braved the blustery conditions on the boardwalk to try and spot a penguin in their nesting burrow and to see the blow hole (which was very active!).  On night one, students became fashionistas and designed and then made an outfit, with accessories, out of newspaper.  Following a demonstration from Miss Begg, students paraded down the ‘cat walk’.  Night two was full of fun trivia and problem solving games and activities.  My thanks to Miss Begg for leading the camp, and to Mrs Denton and Mrs Leighton who also attended.  It was an enjoyable camp, the weather was very kind and I was really proud of all of our Year 4 students for the way they conducted themselves throughout the camp.

Our Book Fair is in full swing and is open in the Library before school (8:30 am to 8:50 am), recess, lunch and after school (3:20 pm to 4:00 pm) until next Friday.  Our thanks to Mrs Davies for organising and running the book fair for us.  Please feel free to pop in to see the wonderful books on offer.

We congratulate the following students:  William Brewer, Henry Clemence, James Cutler, Jayden Evans, Aaron Hoogendoorn, Kaelan Lowe, Sandy Norlyng and Max O’Connor who have been invited to attend the West Gippsland Performing Arts Competition next Friday to perform with the Secondary School String and Community String Ensemble.  They have been working really hard and we wish them well.

School photos: Families should have received school photos last week.  We noticed that the incorrect name for our Principal was listed on class photos after they were sent home.  The photo company has admitted fault and families will be receiving new copies due to this error in the coming weeks.  We do not require the original photos back.

We have many ways of communicating with families.  Could I please encourage parents to continue to check their emails, MyStPauls app, newsletters, pink slip, year level pages on MyStPauls and their child’s school diary for information, to ensure everyone keeps up-to-date with school information.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

JULY
31 July  ICAS English Competition (Registered students from Years 2 to 6 only)

AUGUST
8 to 10 August  Ski Camp
8 August  Years 3 and 4 Soirée
Lions Club Public Speaking Competition
9 August  Australian Mathematics Competition (Selected students only)
13 August  Years 3 and 4 Hoop Time Basketball Tournament
14 August  ICAS Mathematics Competition (Registered students from Years 2 to 6 only)
RoboCup Victorian Championships (Selected students only)
22 August  VicSpell Competition
24 August Year 7 2019 Friendship Morning (casual clothes)
25 August  Tournament of Minds (Selected students only)
29 August  Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
30 August  Father’s Day Stall
Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Drouin and Warragul public school bus network notice

A reminder for students travelling on the Warragul Regional College (WRC) and Drouin Secondary Bus Network.
These bus networks will not be running on Friday 17 August and families will need to make alternate travel arrangements for this day.
St Paul’s buses will run as per normal with the exception of Bus 3 which is the WRC transfer bus.
Please note: this bus is not a town bus and is only for the use of students with approved travel.

ROBOCUP REGIONAL COMPETITION

On Saturday 16 June, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School hosted its second RoboCup Regional Competition at the Warragul Junior School.  This year we had 10 teams representing Warragul Junior School, two teams representing Traralgon Junior School and five representing the Warragul Secondary School.  In 2018 we saw a significant increase in competitors with over thirty-one teams comprised of eighty-eight students from the local and wider community.  This year was also the first year we saw teams competing in the On Stage Dance Competition.

It was a fantastic day and all students, mentors and spectators had a great time and took away lots of learning.  All the students left with the skills and enthusiasm to improve and develop for the upcoming state and national events.  Coverage of the event was broadcast through WIN News.

The results on the day were:

Riley Rover Division
Achievers (2nd place) – Traralgon Junior School
Brainstorms (4th place) – Traralgon Junior School
Robotic Banana Riders (5th place) – Warragul Junior School
Operation Einstein (6th place) – Warragul Junior School

Primary Rescue Division
Life Savers (2nd Place) – Warragul Junior School

Secondary Rescue Division
Crusher (2nd place) – Warragul Secondary School
Firepower (3rd place) – Warragul Secondary School
Eagle Rock (4th place) – Warragul Secondary School

Teams from all three campuses have been training hard for the RoboCup State Competition which is being held on Tuesday 14 August at Melbourne University.  We wish them all good luck.

Traceye Rapinett
STEM Coordinator and Year 5 Classroom Teacher

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

Term 3 has begun positively and busily as it always does here at St Paul’s and that energetic pace will not let up until our next set of holidays.  SEISA Cross Country was held last week at Newhaven and despite the very cold conditions, our students competed to their usual high standard with effort and great sportsmanship.  Congratulations to Charlie Blackburn from Year 7 and Rachel Jennings in Year 10 at Traralgon who were Age Champions on the day.  We also finished the rounds of DAV Debating last week and those who qualified will now head into finals.  I must thank all of the staff for their commitment to debating and this competition in particular.  There is much preparation conducted during lunchtimes and the evening commitment is demanding and I thank them for continuing to offer this opportunity to our students.  We also farewelled our Year 10 cohort to Phillip Island for their Careers Conference and next week we will farewell our French Exchange students and the first of our 2019 Information Evenings will be held.  Please check the ‘What’s On’ dates carefully to ensure you do not miss any of the important events that are held in Term 3.

Senior Formal
The much-anticipated Senior Formal will be held this evening with the bus departing promptly at 5:45 pm from the main car park.  Students have been briefed on our expectations of their behaviour for the evening.  This is, very strictly, an alcohol free event and behaviour which contravenes any of our school policies will be dealt with in the most serious manner.  The Senior Formal is a fabulous opportunity for our senior students to unwind and bond just before Term 3 gets busy.  We will share a meal before the student band hits the stage and the students hit the dance floor.  It will be very cold this evening so we would appreciate if parents could be waiting in the car park to collect their students as the bus arrives.  The event will conclude at 11:00 pm.  We hope to arrive back to Warragul by 12:00 am and will stop at the following locations on the way:
• Morwell McDonalds
• Moe McDonalds
• Trafalgar Railway Station
• Yarragon Railway Station

Please encourage your student to wear a warm jacket or bring a blanket to drape around them to get to and from the venue.  We offer a cloakroom service for these items.  The staff attending are really looking forward to spending the night with our Year 11, Year 12 and French Exchange students.

Information Evenings and Subject Selection 2019
Please note the following key dates and times for our information evenings and subject selection process for 2019:

The VCE Information Evening includes two separate elements:

The first is an information session for each year level, outlined in the table above.  The second element is a faculty showcase which is spread between the Science Centre and the VCE Centre.  Each faculty will have a display set up and key staff will be on hand to offer guidance and advice on subjects.  We suggest that those students attending who will enter Year 12 in 2019 arrive at 7:00 pm and speak with teaching staff prior to their information session.  Those students who will be completing Year 11 in 2019 should arrive at 7:00 pm for their Information Session and then speak to staff after this.  A map of faculty locations will be available for you to collect in the Science Centre foyer on arrival.

Our Year 8 and Year 9 cohorts for 2019 only choose elective subjects and our Heads of Faculty will present to them during a Pastoral session prior to their subject selection due date.  The Year 9 2019 Information Evening is held later in the term and this session provides an explanation to parents regarding the unique program that we operate for this year level.

Can anyone help?
As you will be aware, this year’s production of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ is rapidly approaching.  The Performing Arts Department is in need of some props for the production and hope that our community may be able to assist us in sourcing and borrowing the following items:

• Large metal industrial size pedestal fan
• Wooden A-frame ladder (must be structurally secure, or able to be modified to be secure)
• Wooden ‘park’ bench or similar (ideally not cast iron as this will be very heavy)
• High legged director’s chair/make-up chair

Please contact Casey Hall on chall@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or call on 5623 5833 if you are able to assist.  We would greatly appreciate it.

Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

JULY
27 July   Senior Formal, 7:00 pm
28 July   VEIS Grand Final: Dressage (Qualifying Round 7 for VEIS 2018)
29 July  VEIS Grand Final: Show Jumping (Qualifying Round 8 for VEIS 2018)
30 July   World Challenge Parent Information Evening, 7:00 pm
31 July to 7 August   Jiujiang Delegation visit Warragul
31 July  ICAS English Competition
VCE Information Evening, 7:00 pm

AUGUST
2 August  SEISA Winter Sport (Intermediate/Senior) Round 2
FareShare Food Relief Excursion, 6:30 am
3 August  Grandparents Day – Year 9, 1:00 pm
6 August  Year 12 2019 Course Counselling
7 August  Year 11 2019 Course Counselling
9 August  Australian Mathematics Competition
SEISA Winter Sport (Intermediate/Senior) Round 3
Year 10 2019 Information Evening, 7:00 pm
10 August  Years 11 and 12 2019 Subject Selections Due, 4:00 pm
11 to 18 August  Science Week
13 August  Year 10 2019 Course Counselling
Victorian Netball Championships, 6:30 am

Drouin and Warragul public school bus network notice

A reminder for students travelling on the Warragul Regional College (WRC) and Drouin Secondary Bus Network.
These bus networks will not be running on Friday 17 August and families will need to make alternate travel arrangements for this day.
St Paul’s buses will run as per normal with the exception of Bus 3 which is the WRC transfer bus.
Please note: this bus is not a town bus and is only for the use of students with approved travel.

AUTHOR VISIT – LUCY CHRISTOPHER

This week Warragul Secondary School students enjoyed a visit from award winning author Lucy Christopher.  Lucy is author of four novels for young adults including ‘Stolen’ and most recently, ‘Storm-wake’.  She grew up in Australia and is now an academic teaching creative writing in the UK.  Lucy shared her infectious passion for stories and students were treated to insights into how an author works, creates, navigates hurdles and builds a writing career.

Our Year 7 students explored how to find inspiration for writing and shared many practical tips.  Year 8 students journeyed through Lucy’s focus on wild locations for writing and her love of natural settings that are both beautiful and mysterious.  In the extended Writers’ Workshop, students across Years 7 to 11 explored strategies to get started with writing creatively, challenging them to write story openings from a range of elements.  The written pieces students produced and shared in this session were outstanding.

Lucy Christopher Writers’ Workshop.

Lucy with our Library display.

JAPAN STUDY TOUR

Recently an enthusiastic group of students and teachers, from both the Warragul and Traralgon Campuses, embarked on a trip to Japan and began their adventures.

On 16 June, seventeen Japanese Language students headed to Tokyo and kick-started the trip of a lifetime, albeit the ten hour flight made the entire experience slightly surreal.  From visiting the bizarre and delightful Harajuku, to the busiest crossing in the world, Shibuya – there was never a moment of boredom.

Further into the first week, after four days of sights like Disneyland, the Studio Ghibli museum, temples and cultural sights, the students headed to the sister school of St Paul’s, Hinode Gakuen.  Thus began what many of the students called the best part of their trip, a five-day homestay with a Japanese family.  From then on began the quintessential Japanese High School experience of experiencing classes, obento lunches and amazing clubs, all thanks to the very accommodating host students and their families.  For many, the end of this short time brought many tears and hugs, the friendships made in this time will never be forgotten.

Then came Hiroshima and Fukuoka, each with their own amazing cultural and social experiences.  From karaoke to shopping, chatting with locals, sightseeing and even feeding deer there was much to do and see.  Additionally, the school visited Chikushi Jogakuen, another sister school where the students delighted in having a traditional tea ceremony.  Finally came Kyoto, the group enjoyed a tour of castles, gardens, shrines and temples ending the day with viewing a cultural concert of traditional puppets, comedy and a geisha performance.

On the last day the group made their way back to Tokyo for their final day’s activity, a wild ride of the Thunder Dolphin, a rollercoaster found at Tokyo Dome.  Then came the long-feared end to the tour, as many simply could not bring themselves to part with the Japan they had come to know and love.

Altogether this tour was beloved by all who went and comes highly recommended!  Those who wish to continue Japanese Language are eligible for this opportunity – so please choose this experience!  Special thanks to Mr Cheswick, Mrs Crossley and Ms Gatti for supervising and coming along on this trip, without their invaluable help there simply would not have been such an adventure available.

Charlotte Innes
Year 11 student

WORLD CHALLENGE – MALAYSIA AND BORNEO EXPEDITION 2020

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is delighted to announce that we are again offering the amazing opportunity to take part in a World Challenge Expedition.

This exciting program offers students the opportunity to plan, fund and ultimately lead their own twenty-one day long expedition to Malaysia and Borneo in June 2020.

World Challenge is unique; students have a chance to CHALLENGE themselves and LEAD the expedition team to a developing world country that will see them develop real life skills prized by universities and employers alike, such as forward planning, communication, leadership and running effective group meetings.  The students will also partake in a challenging trek and immerse themselves within a local community.  By visiting and working alongside the local people, students will have a chance to understand some of the issues facing parts of our world.  Not only is World Challenge a chance to travel throughout a developing countries and see how lucky we are to live in Australia, the fact that students LEAD the team, ensures they develop real-world leadership and communication skills that they will use in every aspect of adulthood whether they go straight into the workforce or further study.

We understand that you will have a lot of pertinent questions about the program particularly around the support we can give to the students and families, so please come along to the Parent Information Evening and ask all those questions in person:     

• Date:  Monday 30 July
• Time:  7:00 pm
• Venue:  Science Centre Lecture Theatre, Warragul Campus

On Thursday 19 and 26 July, the students were presented with the opportunity at assembly, however we thought we would give you some notice and let you know that they may come home and ask you about coming along to the upcoming parent evening they want you to attend, and of course we hope to see you there!

Learn more about the World Challenge Ethos of student-led expeditions here

Please let us know if you are coming along, but please also rest assured we will answer all questions on the night so please come along and spend thirty minutes with us next Monday 30 July and have a think about whether this opportunity would be great for the development of your son or daughter.

World Challenge School Leader – Mrs Carissa Kelly
Lexi Maurus – World Challenge

SPORT NEWS

Clay Target Shooting
On 18 June 2018 both Lachlan Balcombe and Julian Wyntjes travelled to Sale to compete in the annual Sale Field and Game Clay Target Shoot.  The event was well managed and attracted one hundred and forty-nine students from ten schools across Victoria.  The shoot was a field and game event with shooters having to shoot targets coming from all directions, even rolling along the ground.  Both Lachlan and Julian shot extremely well, with Lachlan hitting 11 out of 20, while Jules shot 15 out of 20, which was almost enough to place in his category.  We would like to thank the families who drove and supported their children at the event.

The next round is early this term and we wish these boys all the best.

SEISA Cross Country
On Thursday 19 July, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School sent seventy students to the annual cross country at Phillip Island.  We were greeted with cold, windy conditions and even a few water hazards on the course as well.

All students who competed did a fantastic job and should be really proud of their efforts, with the team finishing in fifth place, only fifteen points off third.  We also had some brilliant individual performances as listed below:
Charlie Blackburn 1^st (U12)
Rachel Jennings 1^st (U16)
Kaja Tierney 2^nd (U12)
Lachlan Speairs 3^rd (U12)
Alannah Rogalsky 3^rd (U13)
Kaho Suzuki 4^th (U14)
Neisha Ablett 4^th (U15)
Darcy Nicholls 4^th (U15)
Jonathan Charles 4^th (U21)
Jenna Wright 4^th (U21)
Zoe Binns 5^th (U15)
Dougal Wright 5^th (U14)
Zach Nabulsi 6^th (U14)
Jas Irwin 7^th (U14)
Trent Munro 8^th (U15)
Cameron Wong 9^th (U21
James Gourley 9^th (U15)
Molly Cargill 9^th (U14)
Noah LaFrantz 9^th (U13)
Holly Morris 10^th (U15)
Cooper Millar 10^th (U13)
Elizabeth Little 10^th (U14)
Stacie Myers 10^th (U16)
Liam Giliam 10^th (U17)
Hannah Jantos 10^th (U21)
Jeremy Bassingthwaighte 10^th (U15)

The under 13, 14, 15 girls and under 15 boys teams also did extremely well with their teams finishing near the top of their sections.

I would like to thanks Mrs Timmer-Arends, Mrs Finlayson, Emily McInnes and Thomas Northe for all their support and organisation throughout the event.

Ben Zanella
Head of Health, Physical Education and Food Technology
Head of Sport – Warragul Campus

MATHS TUTORIAL CLASSES

Monday – Year 9, 1:20 pm, Year 9 Centre
Wednesday – Years 7 and 8, lunchtime, YS2
Thursday – Years 10 to 12, lunchtime, RM6
Thursday – VCE classes, after school, RM6

Dane Roy,
Class of 2006

Class of 2006 alumnus, Dane Roy, started at St Paul’s as a Year 7 student and remembers enjoying the school assembly on a Friday.  Now, in 2018, he is living in Texas in the USA and is about to start his third year studying communications on a full scholarship at the University of Houston.

At St Paul’s Dane was involved in many co-curricular activities that included football, cricket, athletics and the Chapel Choir and sees graduating school as a great achievement.

Since graduating from St Paul’s Dane has followed different career avenues.  Dane said “I did a course at Holmesglen TAFE in 2007 while playing TAC cup football for Gippsland Power.  I then had random jobs until 2015 when I started work as a sales rep for Peters Ice Cream, and at the same time learnt how to punt an American Football which then gave me the opportunity to move to the USA and play college football, while studying all on a scholarship.”

To get into college in the USA to play college football he had to take the SAT, a college admissions test in the USA and now gets flown all over America to play football in front of crowds of around 70,000.

When we asked him why he chose to change his career pathway he said “I needed to do something about my future as I wasn’t happy with how things were going. My fiancée told me I should be the best I can be.”

When we asked him about his college football experience and what he enjoyed the most he said he enjoyed “that I am in a foreign country and bettering myself every day, and setting my future up.”

The most challenging things he finds now about playing college football is being away from family, but outside of studies and football he also enjoys golf, cooking and making videos.

Dane returned to St Paul’s in Term 2, 2018 to visit students enrolled in the St Paul’s Elite Sports Performers (ESP) Program and spoke to students about his journey in sport, whilst providing a valuable message to the students – that they should make the most of their opportunities when they could.

A fascinating story about the Mallee Emu-wren in The Age caught my attention this week.  The Mallee Emu-wren is one of Australia’s smallest and rarest birds.  Few people have heard of it and even fewer have seen it.  Its peculiar habitat is limited, remote and rapidly diminishing.  Another sad tale of extinction of a native species seemed like the only chapter to be written for this enigmatic little bird of inland Australia.

Enter the smartphone.  That is right, the smartphone!  Researchers and volunteers brandishing smartphones played wren-song in some of Australia’s most remote areas to try to attract the attention of any undiscovered Mallee Emu-wren that might be out there.  Immediately on hearing the bird calls from the smartphones, the elusive yet highly territorial, feisty emu-wrens revealed themselves in no uncertain terms, much to the delight of the dedicated group of researchers and volunteers.  A previously unknown habitat on the northern inland border of Victoria and South Australia had been discovered, with approximately 3,000 more Mallee Emu-wrens than we ever thought existed.  Thanks to the smartphone and the discovery of this new habitat, the species is now estimated to be in excess of 8,000.  With relocations of emu-wrens from threatened areas now possible, the future of the Mallee Emu-wren is looking bright, thanks in no small part to the modern technology of the smartphone.

This story is a delightful example of how the rapid development of electronic technology has been of benefit to us, in this case probably saving a threatened species in the nick of time.  Like most useful things, though, smartphones can be overused, abused and misused.  I am sure that most of us know and appreciate the benefits of technology, but we must also remain mindful of the potential dangers and do our best to work with our children to minimise the risks, make responsible decisions and maintain a balance in terms of screen time.  Let us all continue to work hard at becoming better at this as the permeation of technology into daily life continues to intensify.

Semester 2 is now well underway and I wish St Paul’s the best of success in our many endeavours during the second half of the year.

Cameron Herbert
Principal