In this issue
• PSTI Evenings
• Pirates of Penzance JR
• Prep 100 Days
• Canberra Tour Reflections
Traralgon Junior School
From the Head of Traralgon Junior School, Ms Tracey King. This week I arrived at school to find lots of elderly 100 year old people at school. There were also a couple of strange looking teachers with grey hair and walking sticks who I hadn’t met before in the courtyard …
Traralgon Junior School
From the Head of Traralgon Junior School,
Ms Tracey King.
This week I arrived at school to find lots of elderly 100 year old people at school. There were also a couple of strange looking teachers with grey hair and walking sticks who I hadn’t met before in the courtyard greeting everyone! There was certainly lots of excitement and energy in the Prep classrooms as they celebrated 100 days of school learning. All things 100 were discussed and investigated throughout the day. Congratulations to Mrs Price and Ms Fox for their wonderful organisation of this special day and to our families for joining in the fun and celebrating together as a school community.
Congratulations to our Years 5 and 6 students who competed at the district basketball competition. Both teams played hard against tough competition and their skills and game sense improved throughout the day. A special acknowledgement goes to our students for their resilience, determination and excellent respectful conduct.
A group of very determined and eager Years 4, 5 and 6 girls competed in the Gippsland Girls AFL Championship last week. Congratulations to all who stepped up and took on the challenge of the competition. Although not very experienced, our girls took the opportunity to improve their skills, demonstrate their resilience, enjoy the experience and have some fun together. They returned to school at the end of the day completely worn out, muddy and with big smiles.
Students who participated in the RoboCup challenge arrived back at school excited to share with us the activities and competition details. All of our students competed well and were able to demonstrate their robotics skills throughout the day giving them a sense of accomplishment and pride. Many thanks to Mrs Sellings and Mrs Price for their lunchtime club lessons and practices with our students and for organising the event. Congratulations to Red Rockets – Jake, Isaiah and Gracie, for making it to the finals and finishing third overall. All students who represented St Paul’s did so with integrity. They displayed excellent resilience, problem-solving skills and leadership, encouraging not only St Paul’s students but students from other schools as well. Special thanks to Miss Bec for driving the bus and being a volunteer judge on the day. Mrs Price and Mrs Sellings are super proud of all students who competed and showed such dedication to our RoboCup Club.
Vicspell Zone finals were held this week and Lachlan Gallivan, Nand Patel, Arlo Agustin and Aaliyah Philips represented St Paul’s Traralgon Junior School. All students competed well and despite some nervousness enjoyed the challenges presented. All can be congratulated on their outstanding spelling and efforts. Special congratulations to Lachlan Gallivan who placed first in his age group.
Last week, we boarded buses and travelled to the Warragul Campus to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School. It was a very special and significant event for our school with all past and present principals of St Paul’s in attendance, board members, alumni and foundation families. Our little people were very excited to go on a bus trip and wore their 40th anniversary badges with pride. All of our teachers commented on the excellent cooperation and behaviour of our students and in particular their wonderful singing during the service leading the whole school in the hymn ‘He’s our Rescuer’. Together as a community, we celebrated the achievements of our school, listened to stories, played music and sang together. Special assemblies such as this are an important part of belonging to a community, contributing to a culture that values learning and achieving and also models to our students that there are endless possibilities for their futures which they can aspire.
Special visit from PJ and Mrs Byrne
Our students thoroughly enjoyed a visit from PJ last week. Students took turns taking her for a walk and assisting with some dog training activities. There was much excitement and many cuddles before the end of playtime. We look forward to some further visits this term.
New Child Safe Standards
We always enjoy having parents/carers/grandparents etc assisting in our Junior School and on excursions. Families should be aware that there are specific requirements for all individuals who assist within our school, including having a current Working With Children Check and having completed our updated Child Safe Modules. An online induction session via LinkSafe is also required for those individuals who will be assisting regularly. Families should speak to their classroom teacher and contact the Junior School office for further information on completing any of these compliance requirements.
Online Safety Hub with ySafe
Inappropriate Online Material – What’s the risk?
Teachers explicitly teach cyber safety throughout the year and cover many aspects of internet, social media and app use with our students. As students move through the Junior School the expectations and responsibility of safe online behaviour increases. Despite these ongoing teachings and the very best efforts of families, each year we do become aware of some student access to inappropriate online materials. Following is some information and advice for parents from the online safety hub.
Parent Home – St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School – Hub (onlinesafetyhub.com.au)
The risks of exposure to sexually explicit material have been well researched and documented. When children’s sexual education includes pornography, the negative impacts can be extensive. Adult content can condition children’s attitudes and beliefs about sexual relationships and behaviour, with clear links to strengthening attitudes of sexual violence and violence towards women in particular.
A recent study of children aged 11 to 16 found that their exposure to pornography had a significant negative influence on body image, their perception of healthy relationships, and the type of sex they would like to try. Another demonstrated that exposure to sexually explicit material amongst teens was one of the main contributing factors to the increase in teen dating violence, suggesting that content of this type develops normative views in young people that sexual aggression is a socially appropriate behaviour.
Pornography impacts young children in different ways. Predominantly, exposure to adult content results in significant stress responses in children, often inducing fear or sparking further curiosity. It is absolutely essential that all parents take steps to protect children and teenagers from access (whether intentional or accidental) to content designed for adults.
Which age is most vulnerable?
Children of all ages are susceptible to the negative impacts of pornography. Reports indicate that children as young as eight years of age are often exposed to pornography online due to accidental access via pop-ups and web searches. Intentional pornography consumption rapidly increases during adolescence, with a study finding that 87 per cent of boys watched pornography either daily or weekly. The same study found that a quarter of girls watched pornography at the same frequency.
How does it happen?
Primary-aged children’s first exposure to pornography is usually accidental due to website pop-ups containing adult content or inappropriate results from Google searches. Without proper filtering measures, young children can be exposed to any innocuous content with a risqué adult connotation (for example, a Google search for ‘pussy cats’). Furthermore, conniving people on the internet have been known to edit pornography content into popular kids’ content on YouTube.
Teenagers are more likely to search for pornographic content directly or be exposed through its distribution by their peers. Teenagers often gain access to explicit content via their personal devices by using their data to bypass any filter that may be in place on a safe network at home or school.
Pornography is not just limited to pornographic websites – it’s also easily accessed on social media sites and other platforms. Despite breaching the community guidelines, popular apps such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat are littered with pornographic images and videos. In some cases, adult film stars even live stream on these platforms in an attempt to gain more followers or attract more people to their other online content.
The online safety hub has guidelines and recommendations for parents to ensure they have their home set up for online safety. Setting up your home for online safety – St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School – Hub (onlinesafetyhub.com.au)
You can also access an online safety quiz here: Online safety quiz – St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School – Hub (onlinesafetyhub.com.au)
Year 1/2 Building
As many families are aware, a significant plumbing issue occurred in our Year 1/2 building this week and classes have been relocated in the short term until cabinetry and carpets can be replaced. I thank our maintenance team Rod Atkinson and Rob Van Dyke for their prompt action and support to ensure the issue was resolved as quickly as possible. Our teachers and students demonstrated some quick thinking, sensible action and resilience at the time. Whilst inconvenient, classes across the school have been flexible in supporting our Years 1 and 2 students and learning has continued with little disruption. Further updates regarding access to the building will be available early next week.
Upcoming Events
Term 3 is certainly busy and we have some very exciting events to look forward to in the coming weeks.
Book Week
The Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) annual Book Week runs from 22 to 26 August this year. The library will be holding competitions and activities to celebrate. Best of all we will hold a Book Character Parade on the morning of Thursday 25 August.
The theme for 2022 is Dreaming with Eyes Open… We have interpreted this as ‘if you can dream it, you can be it!’ Students can wear the costume of any character they dream of being.
Students are also encouraged to bring in a gold coin donation for The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF). The foundation’s purpose is to invest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remote communities to provide the tools and resources they request to shape the direction of their children’s literacy future. Further information on ILF can be located via their website www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au .
Arts Showcase
In the final week of term, we will be presenting our first Arts Showcase. This evening performance on Wednesday 14 September will involve all students from Prep to Year 6. We will enjoy a display of visual art, musical performances and Poets on Parade; individual poetry dramatisations from our Years 5 and 6 students and class performances. The evening will be entertaining and a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their skills and passions. All students will be actively involved and families are invited to join us for this event. Our Arts Showcase will be a ticketed event and will be held at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre. Details will be emailed to families shortly.
The Resilience Project
A number of parents have provided us with very positive feedback about our involvement in The Resilience Project this year. It is wonderful to see and hear students and teachers discussing the GEM (Gratitude, Empathy Mindfulness) principles and putting these into practice at school. For those families who may be interested in a holiday presentation from TRP and Martin Heppell there will be a workshop during the September holidays. The workshop will focus on supporting the mental health of students and is the first-ever high-energy kids show to tour around Victoria from The Resilience Project team. Tickets to ‘3 Happy Tricks’ with Martin Heppell are available now, Frankston, Narre Warren, Shepparton and Wodonga.
Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School
WHAT’S ON
AUGUST
12 August Year 7 2023 Friendship Morning, 9:00 am
15 to 19 August Science Week
17 August Performing Arts Concert, 6:00 pm
19 August Science Activity Day
24 to 25 August Parent Student Teacher Interviews
29 August Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod Choral
30 August Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod Instrumental
SEPTEMBER
1 September Father’s Evening Minute to Win It
2 September Father’s Day FOSP Stall
7 to 9 September Years 3 and 4 Camp Rumbug
13 September Arts Showcase Rehearsals
14 September Arts Evening Showcase 6:00 pm
16 September End of Term 3, 2:20 pm FINISH
* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.
* TBC – to be confirmed.
DOBSONS TRADING HOURS
Please note that some COVIDSafe procedures may still apply. We thank you for your cooperation.
Order online or click and collect: Please ensure that you only attend the store to collect your items once you have received notification that your order is ready, order here.
Class Updates
Prep
Recently the Preps had a lovely celebration day to recognise their 100th day of learning. Students were asked to dress up so that they looked 100 years old and participated in lots of activities around the number 100. During Literacy sessions, we have been reading sentences daily and learning new letter patterns to read harder words. We have learnt the ‘ee’, ‘ai’, ‘oa’ and ‘igh’ sounds in words. We have explored the names and features of 3D shapes and looked at lots of items in our classroom and sorted them into categories. In our Science and Technology learning, the students have been given a problem and were asked to use their scientific understanding to create a solution. The students have designed an unbreakable chair for the “Three Bears”, a chicken carrier for the Henny Penny Chickens and will now think about designing an object for the “Three Billy Goats Gruff”.
We have been discussing characters in books and are really looking forward to dressing up again for Book week in the coming weeks.
Year 1
As part of their Sound and Light unit Year 1 students have been exploring how different cultures use a variety of instruments to make sound. Students learnt that materials vary widely from place to place and that the instruments of the world can be broken into some basic categories. We explored how to classify instruments based on the sounds that they make. They visited the music room to play the drums and then designed their own mini drum to take home.
Year 2
The last fortnight in Year 2 has been wonderful learning how a sentence must include a subject and a verb and we have been able to identify the predicate in a sentence as well. We have continued our learning about inventors and influential people from the past when it comes to flight, such as Amelia Earhart, The Wright Brothers and Leonardo Da Vinci and we are excited to write information reports next week. Exploring Chance in Maths has been fun and classifying events as certain, likely, unlikely and impossible has given us some wonderful discussions in class. We had some special visitors on Monday when Jed and his Mum brought in three of their lambs. We heard all about how they grow and how much milk they drink each day, and it was fascinating to see how quickly they can drink a bottle of milk!
Year 3
In Year 3, we have been exploring ‘Heat is a Really Hot Topic’ as part of our Integrated Science Unit.
Our most recent experiment looked at the transfer of heat and how this occurs in hot and cold water. We first filled one glass with cold (blue) water and the other glass with hot (red) water. We first tried the hot water on the bottom and sat the cold water on top. Most students predicted that the water would mix and therefore turn purple. They were correct! We then reversed the glasses with the hot water on top and the cold on the bottom. Most students predicted the same result however some students made the comment that ‘heat rises’. We noticed that even though there was nothing to separate the hot and cold water, they did not mix!
WHY? Hot water is less dense than cold water. When you put the two together with the hot water on the bottom, the hot water rises to the top, mixing with the cold water along the way and creating purple (Experiment 1). When the cold water is on the bottom, the hot water doesn’t have to rise, it is already on top. The cold blue water stays on the bottom and the hot red water stays on top. Magic!
Year 4
In Year 4, students have enjoyed researching inventions past and present which have included cars, cameras, video game consoles and the internet. From this, students have discovered how these and other objects have been innovated over time. In Maths lessons, we have had a strong focus on multiplication and improving our ability to recite times tables. As part of the Resilience Project, we have been learning about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness. Students have enjoyed some downtime with yoga and reflecting on how their bodies feel after the exercises. Students noted they felt relaxed or happier. Students have continued to enjoy the morning session with Play is the Way games which is allowing them to work as a team and develop good comminution skills with their peers.
Year 5
It has been extremely busy in Year 5! We have had many students attending different events such as RoboCup, Basketball competitions and Girls AFL over the last two weeks.
During Maths, we have been connecting three-dimensional objects with their nets. Drawing the nets from scratch and visualising if they will work or not when glued together was a great challenge. It was great to see everyone trying their best even if their net did not quite go to plan.
In Science, we have learnt to categorise living things. To help identify which category living things belong to, we use a dichotomous key. This is a tricky concept to understand but students found that by breaking it down step by step as a class they gained the confidence and understanding to be successful when they created their own. We have also begun learning about adaptations. Students have brainstormed the types of animals that live in a particular environment and identified the characteristics of these animals which allow them to survive in those specific environments.
Year 6
The last couple of weeks have involved students digging deep into the structure of sentence writing to support them to implement such strategies within their larger writing piece for the Writing Challenge. We have reviewed coordinating conjunctions and compound sentences, identified direct and indirect speech and used this knowledge to correctly punctuate and paragraph. Students are excitedly learning their lines for the upcoming musical and working with others to rehearse. We have explored the data that graphs represent and which way is most effective to achieve this. Students have also been exploring, discussing and started to research a range of natural and human disasters that have impacted people across the world in a variety of ways. This sure has generated much enthusiasm and discussion throughout!
CANBERRA TOUR REFLECTIONS
During the last week of Term 2, nine Year 6 students and I attended the Canberra Tour. Here are some thoughts from the students’ perspectives:
Stella O’Mara
My favourite activity was the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) because I love sport and really enjoyed all the fun activities we got to do there. My favourite activity was the Chin-Up Challenge, made all the more sweeter because I beat the boys in this challenge!
I learnt so many new things in Canberra that I didn’t know before. I found out about how American architect Walter Burley Griffin won an international competition for the design of Canberra to be really interesting, including the drawings completed by his wife Marion Mahony Griffin.
Isabella Slocombe
The 2022 St Paul’s Canberra tour was educational and enjoyable which proved learning can be a lot of fun!
My favourite place was The Australian War Memorial. It had deep value and meaning for me and was very informative. It represents our past and symbolises the impacts conflict can have on our country as well as others. The War Memorial taught us how important it is to learn from our past. During my time at the memorial, I was privileged enough to be able to lay a floral tribute beside the pool of reflection on behalf of the school during the last post ceremony as a tribute to soldiers lost in war.
Cooper Beckman
The Canberra tour was an incredibly fun educational camp where we learnt about Parliament House and Australian history. My favourite part of the Canberra tour was Parliament House because we got to go into both houses of parliament and we also learnt about the two houses. If I could spend more time at any one venue, I would spend more time at the National Museum of Australia. There was just so much to cover and we did not have enough time to cover everything. I would love to go back to Canberra with my family and experience all the wonderful things I experienced on this trip and even more amazing exhibits that Canberra has to offer.
Sarah Magee
The Canberra Camp Tour 2022 was a fun and activity-filled experience that my friends and I were able to attend. There were a wide range of activities from the Dinosaur Museum to Questacon and was something for everyone to enjoy.
My favourite places that we went to on the tour would have to be the War Memorial, Embassy Drive Tour and the Parliament Houses. The reason I enjoyed the War Memorial was because it was a great way to remember and acknowledge everyone who fought and are still fighting for us and our country. The Embassy Drive Tour was quite interesting to see how each country’s embassy is designed according to their culture. Both Parliament Houses were equally educational and great for all ages to visit, creating a really enjoyable tour for us. I am very grateful that I was able to be on such a positive and enjoyable camp. Thank you.
Dianne Kuyken
Music Specialist
CBCA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR KATRINA NANNESTAD VISITS OUR SHADOW JUDGES
On Monday 8 August we were fortunate to have the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) shortlisted author Katrina Nannestad visit our library. Speaking to a select group of students from Years 5 to 10, Katrina discussed her nominated historical novel “Rabbit, Solider, Angel, Thief”. The students were treated to a short reading and were able to ask questions surrounding her writing process.
Author Katrina Nannestad engaging with a group of Traralgon students.
Nannestad’s visit was organised as part of our students’ commitment to the CBCA Shadow Judging, of which five students at Traralgon are participating in, along with three from Warragul Secondary School.
Nannestad’s visit was organised as part of our students’ commitment to the CBCA Shadow Judging, of which five students at Traralgon are participating in, along with three from Warragul Secondary School.
Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries
Traralgon District Basketball
On Friday 5 August, fourteen Years 5 and 6 students travelled to the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium to take part in the Traralgon District / Hoop Time Basketball Event. The boys and girls both had a tough first round playing against the eventual champions. The boys managed one win and a couple of narrow losses to finish in seventh place overall. The girls won two matches and narrowly missed out on playing in the finals. They finished in fifth place overall.
Both teams improved as the day went on and their experience levels of playing together increased.
Well done to all students on their efforts, sportsmanship and behaviour on the day.
Billy Rilen
Physical Education and Sport Teacher
Gippsland Region Girls AFL
On Thursday 4 August, twenty Years 4, 5 and 6 girls walked to the Traralgon West Sports Complex to take part in the Gippsland Region Girls AFL Championship. The girls competed against teams from Paynesville, Wonthaggi, Mirboo North, Warragul and Yinnar in what turned out to be decent weather conditions for football. Our girls were far less experienced than the other teams in attendance only having one player who plays footy outside of school compared to the other team who had a majority of their players who play AFL on the weekend. We started off slightly cautious as expected but by the end of the first game, the girls had a real desire to get in, win the ball and tackle the other team. As our experience levels grew from game to game so too did the skill level and confidence of the players. Unfortunately we finished sixth but we had plenty of fun and laughs on the day.
The effort and will to improve shown by the girls were inspiring to watch and I think there may be a few girls going home and asking if they can play football after their experience today.
We were very proud of the girls’ effort, behaviour and respectful conduct. I received comments from multiple schools complimenting us on these traits. Well done girls.
Billy Rilen
Physical Education and Sport Teacher
Traralgon Secondary School
From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School, Mrs Leonie Clark THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS… ‘Possibilities’ was the theme for our 40th Anniversary Service on Wednesday …
Traralgon Secondary School
From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS…
‘Possibilities’ was the theme for our 40th Anniversary Service on Wednesday 3 August. The audience was invited to ponder what might be possible with the opportunities that present from a St Paul’s education as well as faith and belief in what might be possible. It was conveyed throughout the service that our lives are richer for being open to new experiences. It is important to trust in our journey as we are more than ready and capable of taking on new challenges when they present.
When reflecting upon the message, I could not help but contemplate that every decision we make, every single day, influences the possibilities that may be presented to us. From deciding what to wear, when to drink the morning coffee, to which way to drive to work, we make numerous decisions that direct our future paths. It has been suggested that on average an adult makes around 35,000 decisions a day; that is 200 decisions an hour or approximately one decision every two seconds! That is certainly a great many possibilities and opportunities every day!
If you are an adolescent those choices may be a ‘little less’ considered at times and may be made with a ‘little less’ assessment of risk than an adult. So how do we nurture our children to explore possibilities to take educated risks and reach their potential?
Engaging children in healthy debate, allowing them to draw their own conclusions and weigh up the possible consequences of a decision can be challenging territory to navigate. Allowing children to make ‘some’ age-appropriate decisions while gently encouraging them to develop their emotional intelligence promotes effective and respectful communication while fostering independence. Assisting adolescents to unpack complex world issues while supporting them to build their personal decision-making autonomy as they mature into young adults, is an extremely powerful way to nurture adolescent decision-making and reinforce family values.
Allowing adolescents time to explore ‘possibilities’ through guided and careful decision-making allows them to enjoy the success that comes from positive choices and take advantage of opportunities that present. Conversely, allowing them to ‘fall’ occasionally, makes available to them the experience of the consequences of their decisions and may even see them develop greater trust in the seeking of wisdom and advice from significant adults in their future decision-making.
Opportunities for your child at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School are endless and we hope that as they grow into young adults, their developing decision-making, guided by the significant adults in their lives as well as our St Paul’s values of wisdom, integrity, compassion and respect, opens a world of extraordinary possibilities for your child in the future.
Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School
WHAT’S ON
AUGUST
12 August Year 7 2023 Friendship Morning, 9:00 am to noon, Traralgon Secondary School Main Building
VCE Subject Selections Due, 3:30 pm
15 August Gymnastics Training, 6:00 am to 9:00 am, Warragul Gymnastics Club
16 August Year 9 into Year 10 2023 Course Counselling, 1:30 pm
17 August Year 9 Elephant Ed Workshop, 1:30 pm
18 August SEISA Winter Inter/Senior Round 5
19 August Year 9 into 10 2023 Subject Selections Due, 3:10 pm
22 August 2022 School Gymnastics Carnival
23 August Parent Student Teacher Interviews Evening 1, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Traralgon Secondary School
24 August Year 8 into Year 9 2023 Information Evening, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Traralgon Secondary School
25 August SEISA Winter Inter/Senior Finals
26 August CBCA Book Week Fundraiser
Year 8 into Year 9 2023 Subject Selection Due
* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.
* TBC – to be confirmed.
DOBSONS TRADING HOURS
Please note that some COVIDSafe procedures may still apply. We thank you for your cooperation.
Order online or click and collect: Please ensure that you only attend the store to collect your items once you have received notification that your order is ready, order here.
ONLINE SAFETY HUB WITH ySAFE
The online world continues to occupy the minds of our teenagers and we are continually trying to equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to support them to navigate it.
ySafe, an eSafety Commissioner-approved provider of online safety education for children and school communities, has developed an outstanding online safety hub for St Paul’s parents and guardians. All St Paul’s families are able to access the online safety hub using the link above that is an up-to-date digital resource for families on the following topics.
DIGITAL QUIZ
• Is your family set up for online?
• Take the quiz to find out
SAFE DEVICES
• Setting up parental controls
• How to manually set up your child’s devices to be safe
APP REVIEWS
• Parents’ guide to apps
• Age appropriate app reviews and recommendations from the experts
#TRENDING TOPICS
• Tik Tok
• What parents need to know about Tik Tok
PARENT STUDENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS (PSTIs) AND STUDENT SUBJECT SELECTIONS
Semester 2 PSTIs will be occurring at the Traralgon Secondary School on two upcoming evenings. Parents will be able to make bookings for this by visiting the School Interviews Website at schoolinterviews.com.au, and entering the appropriate session code. The information for each interview session is shown below.
Students in Years 7 to 10 will also be making their subject selections in the coming weeks. The important dates surrounding these for each year level are as follows:
Year 10
• Friday 12 August, 3:30 pm – Subject Selections due
Year 9
• Tuesday 16 August, 1:30 pm onward – Course Counselling at Traralgon Secondary School
• Friday 26 August, 3:30 pm – Subject Selections due
Year 8
• Friday 26 August, 3:30 pm – Subject Selections due
Year 7
• Friday 26 August, 3:30 pm – Subject Selections due
Years 7 and 8 Subject Selection Process
Please note there is no subject selection information evening for Years 7 and 8 students. Rather, students in these year levels will be presented with their elective selection options during school hours. During this presentation, they will receive a web code giving them access to complete their selections online. The online system allows students to print their selections which they then have signed by a parent before submitting to our front office by the due date given above.
If you have any questions, please contact our secondary school office.
Chris Ambrozy
Director of Studies – Traralgon Secondary School
Classroom Teacher – Science, Robotics and Computer Science
DEBATING SUCCESS FOR TRARALGON SECONDARY SCHOOL
As our opportunities to debate competitively begin to wind down for 2022, we are delighted to congratulate our teams who have experienced recent success in both the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) and SEISA competitions.
The DAV online competition concluded on Monday 18 July after a series of highs and lows, and the all-too-dreaded forfeit of teams who are still struggling with the pandemic.
Our SEISA Junior Debating Champions: (left to right back row) Pragnya, Will, Kydan, Angad; (front row) Mitch, Vidhau, Asmi.
Congratulations must go to our C-Grade team who have debated their way into the finals, to be conducted later this month. However, every single participant in our DAV team should be proud of their tremendous efforts this year. They are a wonderful group of motivated and capable debaters.
The SEISA Junior Debating Competition, held on Tuesday 2 August at Gippsland Grammar in Sale, proved to be our most successful event of the year! Both teams were victorious in their debates against Beaconhills College and Gippsland Grammar, with Will Szkwarek and Pragnya Pasupuleti being awarded Best Speaker in their respective debates. We were so excited for St Paul’s Traralgon to be crowned “2022 Junior Debating Champions” at this event and we will hang our pennant proudly at school.
Donna Byrne
English, Robotics and Mentor Teacher
Director of Learning and Teaching – Traralgon Secondary School
CBCA SHORTLISTED AUTHOR KATRINA NANNESTAD VISITS OUR SHADOW JUDGES
On Monday 8 August we were fortunate to have the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) shortlisted author Katrina Nannestad visit our library. Speaking to a select group of students from Years 5 to 10, Katrina discussed her nominated historical novel “Rabbit, Solider, Angel, Thief”. The students were treated to a short reading and were able to ask questions surrounding her writing process.
Author Katrina Nannestad engaging with a group of Traralgon students.
Author Katrina Nannestad with students from Years 5 to 10, including Library Captain Ella May, Head of Libraries Jannet Taylor and Regional Director for the Gippsland Region of the CBCA Susan O’Malley.
Nannestad’s visit was organised as part of our students’ commitment to the CBCA Shadow Judging, of which five students at Traralgon are participating in, along with three from Warragul Secondary School.
Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries
SPORT NEWS
Ruby Paulet’s Swimming achievements
Over the past two weekends, Ruby competed at the Victorian Country SC Championships and the Victorian Age (State) SC Championships, representing the Traralgon Swim Club. The country championships were held in Ballarat which was a two-day competition, plus a day for travel. Ruby mainly competed in the 14/15 year girls age group as a 14 year old and swam five events in this category and two events in the Open female category, which were the 200m Backstroke and 200m Butterfly.
Ruby Paulet at State Swimming.
Ruby managed to make the final (top 8) in her 100m Butterfly by achieving a two second Personal Best (PB). At the State Age Championships a week later, Ruby competed in seven individual events in the 14 year old girls age group and two relays over the course of a three-day competition. Ruby wants to thank St Paul’s and the ADP Program for the support they have provided around managing her schoolwork and swimming commitments as well as the Traralgon Swim Club and coaches for their support over the years.
Sienna Smith – Clay Shooting
Sienna had the opportunity to travel to Frankston to compete at the South East Zone – DTL Clay Target Championships.
Sienna Smith at Clay Shooting.
Despite it being quite a challenging day for Sienna, she did come away with fourth place from a pool of competitors who had travelled from the Gippsland Region as well as Metropolitan schools.
Sandra Timmer-Arends
Head of Year 9 and 10
Head of Sport – Traralgon Campus
Health and Physical Education
Out and About
Monday 8 August Morning Tea at Traralgon Secondary School.
Year 10 students, Joshua Cullen and Marcus Withell.
Year 9 students, Charlotte Bray and Phoebe Cooper.
Year 9A students, Thomas McDonald, Samson Xiao and Ryder Thompson.
Year 8 students, Matthew Laing and Angad Brar.
Year 7 students, Tharuja Vidanapathirana and Lucas Gordon.
Year 7A students Freya Madden, Hallie Hughes, Sienna Hill and Jasmine Hanratty.
Warragul Junior School
From the Head of Warragul Junior School, Mr Rowan van Raay. What an absolute delight to celebrate St Paul’s 40th Anniversary with a whole school …
Warragul Junior School
From the Head of Warragul Junior School,
Mr Rowan van Raay.
What an absolute delight to celebrate St Paul’s 40th Anniversary with a whole school assembly last Wednesday. Students from Prep to Year 12 and staff from all four sub-schools joined together to mark this special occasion. All students and staff received a ’40 Year’ badge and enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to St Paul’s together. Another highlight was having all six of St Paul’s Principals in attendance. Founding Principal, Mr Parker, Mr Prideaux, Mr Roberston, Mr Clapper, Ms Moloney and Mr Herbert all took part in a presentation of Principals with a symbolic ‘lighting of the candle’ to represent their time at St Paul’s. They were accompanied on stage by some of our Prep students who assisted in lighting the candles. It was a wonderful acknowledgement of how far the School has come since 1982. Congratulations to all involved and Happy 40th, St Paul’s!
Snow Sports Camp
Our thanks to Mrs Leighton for organising and running the Snow Sports camp last week. Several families attended and while the weather conditions were mixed, everyone thoroughly enjoyed their time on the mountain.
Preps 100 days
Congratulations to our Preps who have completed their first 100 days in our Junior School. There were some ‘very old’ looking students in the Prep building last Friday as they enjoyed a day full of activities centred around ‘100’. I am happy to report there was only one pair of dentures handed into the office and only one ‘fall’ in the yard requiring a full hip replacement. There was some confusion the following day with some of our Preps thinking Prep was now finished and they should be in Year 1 now.
Year 1 Excursion
Our Year 1 students visited IMAX to see ‘Bugs: Mighty Micro Monsters’ and then the Melbourne Museum to visit the Bugs Alive Gallery. This excursion complemented work being done in the classroom on their topic for Term 3, ‘Minibeasts’. It was their first ‘big bus trip’ to Melbourne together and they thoroughly enjoyed the day.
Before and After School Care
A reminder that Club House Boot Camp is our Before and After School Care provider for ELC and Junior School families. I encourage families to visit their website clubhousebootcamp.com.au for further information and to register. Operating hours and in the Prideaux Centre are:
Before School Care – 6:45 am to 8:45 am
After School Care – 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School
WHAT’S ON
AUGUST
17 August State Football (selected students only)
27 August Year 7 2023 Friendship Morning
30 August Years 5 to 6 Hoop Time
31 August Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm
SEPTEMBER
1 September Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm
9 September Gippsland’s Biggest PJ Day
16 September Last Day Term 3, 2:20 pm FINISH
Please note the change of date for the School Musical is from 14 September to 20 October.
* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.
* TBC – to be confirmed.
DOBSONS TRADING HOURS
Please note that some COVIDSafe procedures may still apply. We thank you for your cooperation.
Order online or click and collect: Please ensure that you only attend the store to collect your items once you have received notification that your order is ready, order here.
ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP
“Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.” Matthew 18:20
The St Paul’s parent prayer group meets on the first Monday of each month during school terms. We try to keep the meeting brief (we are usually done by 9:45 am) and casual (younger children are most welcome). The group encompasses people both very comfortable with praying, as well as those newer to praying with others. Feel free to get in touch with any questions beforehand or just attend when you are able during the year.
Our next gathering is Monday 5 September, 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com
ONLINE SAFETY HUB WITH ySAFE
The online world continues to occupy the minds of our teenagers and we are continually trying to equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to support them to navigate it.
ySafe, an eSafety Commissioner-approved provider of online safety education for children and school communities, has developed an outstanding online safety hub for St Paul’s parents and guardians. All St Paul’s families are able to access the online safety hub using the link above that is an up-to-date digital resource for families on the following topics.
DIGITAL QUIZ
• Is your family set up for online?
• Take the quiz to find out
SAFE DEVICES
• Setting up parental controls
• How to manually set up your child’s devices to be safe
APP REVIEWS
• Parents’ guide to apps
• Age appropriate app reviews and recommendations from the experts
#TRENDING TOPICS
• Tik Tok
• What parents need to know about Tik Tok
SAVE THE DATE: THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE JR. TO SET SAIL IN SEPTEMBER AT ST PAUL’S!
The Pirates of Penzance JR. is a family-friendly classic comedy that boasts one of the most famous patter songs in musical theatre history. The wit and whimsy of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic score are suffused with a modern sensibility and a dash of the melodramatic in this re-imagined version for young people. Our students have been hard at work singing, dancing and acting their way through rehearsals and working hard to prepare for this year’s St Paul’s School Production. The ravages of COVID-19 have prevented us from presenting musicals for a while, so this one is a highly anticipated return to the joys of musical theatre.
Set on the rocky coast of Cornwall, England, The Pirates of Penzance JR. begins with a group of pirates who are celebrating the birthday of one of their own, Frederic, who has reached his 21st year. Finally having served the full length of his required time with the pirates, he decides to strike off on his own and become an upstanding citizen – which may even mean bringing the pirates to justice. This turns out to be a tricky prospect indeed, especially when Frederic’s freedom is called into question!
Come and join in the fun and silliness of this swashbuckling tale as the enthusiastic cast of students weave their way through the operetta that launched modern musical theatre as we know it today! The Pirates of Penzance JR. will be performed at the West Gippsland Arts Centre on Thursday 8 September and Friday 9 September at 7:00 pm, and Saturday 10 September at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Tickets are now for sale on the West Gippsland Arts Centre’s online booking site.
Kylie Sinclair
Production Coordinator
From the Principal
On Wednesday 3 August, the 40th Anniversary of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School was celebrated with a Whole School Service in the Warragul Secondary School …
From the Principal
On Wednesday 3 August, the 40th Anniversary of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School was celebrated with a Whole School Service in the Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium. There were over 1,500 people in attendance, including all students from the Traralgon and Warragul campuses. I am delighted that all five former Principals of St Paul’s were able to be with us on the day:
1. Des Parker (1981 to 1992)
2. Richard Prideaux (1993 to 2006)
3. Mark Robertson (2007 to 2010)
4. Mike Clapper (2011 to 2012)
5. Lisa Moloney (2011 to 2017)
A significant number of foundation families and the first Year 12 graduates of St Paul’s were also in attendance, including guest speaker Malcolm Watts (Class of 1987), CEO of SIM Australia, who flew from Sydney to be with us for the occasion. An agreed highlight of the ceremony was the lighting of the six candles by the six Principals and six Prep students (three from each campus) accompanied by Year 10 student Amelia Matthews’ contemplative, gentle rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, with the feature line: “You can’t start a fire without a spark.” To commemorate the event, a Whole School Drone photograph was taken outside after the service.
I wish to acknowledge the outstanding presentation, attitude and behaviour of our St Paul’s students on the day. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the great success of this significant event.
The School’s 2021 Annual Report is available on our website using the following link: https://stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/about-us/leadership/
St Paul’s operates within the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland, who have informed us they are currently advertising a position available for a Safe Ministry Clearance Officer. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please click here for details.
Cameron Herbert
Principal
Warragul Secondary School
From the Head of Warragul Secondary School, Mrs Laura Butterworth. Anniversary Service – 40 Fabulous Years In the last edition of the Grammarian I wrote …
Warragul Secondary School
From the Head of Warragul Secondary School,
Mrs Laura Butterworth.
Anniversary Service – 40 Fabulous Years
In the last edition of the Grammarian I wrote about the joy of resuming assemblies and stated that “assemblies are part of the rituals and traditions which support the rich and historic culture of our school.” Our Anniversary Service on Wednesday 3 August was a celebration of 40 years of St Paul’s but this event is now firmly embedded in our history as a true celebration of what we have become.
The service was a symbolic and meaningful celebration of our school and we were fortunate to have in attendance the six Principals who have led St Paul’s in its 40 year history. Alongside them were all of the students from Prep through to Year 12 from both the Warragul and Traralgon Campuses accompanied by the teaching and educational support staff. A symbolic candle lighting ceremony really stole the show as each Principal, including our current Principal Cameron Herbert, lit a candle accompanied by a Prep student from either the Warragul or Traralgon Junior Schools. During this time Warragul Year 10 student Amelia Matthews rendered the crowd silent with her haunting rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark. After the service concluded we carefully filed out of the gymnasium and into the main carpark at Warragul Secondary School for a whole school photo taken by a drone.
I would like to thank our parents and guardians for ensuring that our students were all in the correct formal uniform for the day. The presentation and behaviour of students during the service and the subsequent whole school photo were impeccable and we have thanked them for this.
Forty years is a significant milestone and we are all excited to see what the next 40 years hold for St Paul’s as we continue to shape, grow and nurture our students and our whole school community.
VCE and Year 10 Information Evening and 2023 Subject Selections
Thank you to all of the students and their families who attended our VCE and Year 10 Information Evening on Tuesday 2 August. It was a wonderful turnout and we were impressed by the preparation students had put in prior to attending. Teaching staff reported that relevant and measured questions were asked by students, and they were impressed by how informed they already were. The evening was followed by several days of course counselling where staff were once again impressed by the research and thought that each student had undertaken prior to their session.
A reminder that 2023 Years 11 and 12 Subject Selections are due today, Friday 12 August at 3:30 pm.
Our current Year 9 cohort who will transition to Year 10 in 2023, will attend their course counselling session on Monday 15 August with their selections being due on Friday 19 August at 3:30 pm.
Family Holiday Notification
We understand that, at times, families decide to take a holiday during term time. If you are planning to do this, then it is imperative that you notify your child’s Head of Year and Head of School in writing prior to leaving. Missing a portion of any term is not ideal, but we can certainly support and help manage this absence if we are notified in advance. A list of each Head of Year is below:
Year 7 – Mr Matthew Shearing
Year 8 – Mr Scott Armour
Year 9 – Ms Kelly Bailey
Year 10 – Mrs Stephanie Trovato
Year 11 – Miss Sarah Moerke
Year 12 – Miss Caitlin Powell
Head of School – Ms Laura Butterworth
ONLINE SAFETY HUB WITH ySAFE
The online world continues to occupy the minds of our teenagers and we are continually trying to equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to support them to navigate it.
ySafe, an eSafety Commissioner-approved provider of online safety education for children and school communities, has developed an outstanding online safety hub for St Paul’s parents and guardians. All St Paul’s families are able to access the online safety hub using the link above that is an up-to-date digital resource for families on the following topics.
DIGITAL QUIZ
• Is your family set up for online?
• Take the quiz to find out
SAFE DEVICES
• Setting up parental controls
• How to manually set up your child’s devices to be safe
APP REVIEWS
• Parents’ guide to apps
• Age appropriate app reviews and recommendations from the experts
#TRENDING TOPICS
• Tik Tok
• What parents need to know about Tik Tok
Masks and COVID-19 Testing
Unfortunately, our recent requests for our students to wear masks whilst indoors have not had the impact that we hoped it would. We do expect our students are wearing a mask whilst indoors and we are asking for parent support to encourage them to do so. We understand this is not a mandate and we do know that our students are mask weary, we all are, but cases are on the rise within our community and we need to work together to minimise them. Some of our students and staff are now contracting COVID-19 for a second time and we know that wearing a mask is a simple measure to try and reduce the infection rate. Our staff really need consideration at this time, and we would really appreciate any family support you can offer. We also urge families to continue RAT testing students who develop symptoms and encourage seeking a PCR for a more accurate result. Regardless of RAT tests or PCRs no student is to attend school whilst symptomatic.
Sextortion – A School TV Special Report
SchoolTV has recently released a special report on the growing trend in ‘sextortion’ in Australia. According to the eSafety Commissioner, ‘sextortion’ is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share intimate images of you unless you give in to their demands.
Since mid-2021 and the beginning of 2022, there has been a 400 per cent increase in sextortion crimes being reported to the police in Australia alone. However, these figures are being replicated in most western countries.
Although this has been an issue for over a decade, originally the victims were usually adults. However, more recently the targeted victims have been young adolescent males, but that is not to say that young females are not also targeted. It is, therefore, vitally important for adult carers to be aware of this serious issue and to start having an age-appropriate conversation as early as possible.
Some viewers may find segments of the information presented in this Special Report distressing or confronting. However, the main focus is to alert not alarm parents and caregivers. It is suitable for all adult carers whose children use online accounts to connect on social media, chat apps, instant messaging platforms or online games. You will find this special report by logging into your MyStPauls account and clicking on the SchoolTV tile on your dashboard.
Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School
WHAT’S ON
AUGUST
12 August VCE Subject Selections Due, 3:30 pm
15 August Gymnastics Training, Warragul Gymnastics Centre, 7:00 am to 8:00 am
Year 9 into Year 10 2023 Course Counselling, Warragul Secondary School Library
16 August House Cultural Day
17 August Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium/Dance Studio, 7:00 am to 8:30 am
18 August SEISA Winter Intermediate/Senior Round 5
Year 7 Immunisations
Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) Meeting, Warragul Secondary School Staffroom, enter via Reception, 7:00 pm
Studio Concert, Parker Centre and Science Centre Lecture Theatre, Prep to Year 12, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
19 August Ecumenical Schools Year 11 Leadership Day, selected Year 11 students, Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
Years 8, 9 and 10 2023 Subject Selections Due, 3:30 pm
19 to 22 August Sport Aerobics National Championships
21 August AusCycling Schools Mountain Bike Series – Round 3, Cranwell Park, Braybrook
22 August School Gymnastics Carnival
24 August Expose, Excite, Ignite Science Show, Years 7 and 8 students, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 9:40 am to 12:30 pm
Parent Student Teacher Interviews (PSTIs) Evening 1, Face-to-Face session, 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
25 August SEISA Winter Intermediate/Senior Finals
29 to 31 August Year 12 VET Sport and Recreation Camp
30 August Parent Student Teacher Interviews (PSTIs) Evening 2, online via Zoom, 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm
SEPTEMBER
1 September SEISA Spring Carnival
2 September Year 9 City Experience: Group 2, Day 3, Melbourne CBD, 7:43 am to 4:03 pm
* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.
* TBC – to be confirmed.
DOBSONS TRADING HOURS
Please note that some COVIDSafe procedures may still apply. We thank you for your cooperation.
Order online or click and collect: Please ensure that you only attend the store to collect your items once you have received notification that your order is ready, order here.
ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP
“Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.” Matthew 18:20
The St Paul’s parent prayer group meets on the first Monday of each month during school terms. We try to keep the meeting brief (we are usually done by 9:45 am) and casual (younger children are most welcome). The group encompasses people both very comfortable with praying, as well as those newer to praying with others. Feel free to get in touch with any questions beforehand or just attend when you are able during the year.
Our next gathering is Monday 5 September, 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com
FRIENDS OF ST PAUL’S
The next Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) meeting will be held at 7:00 pm in the staffroom (enter via reception) on Thursday 18 August. The aim of FOSP is to create opportunities for the community to mix and socialise.
Planning was underway for a Cinema Night this term but we have instead decided to support the Team Timor evening on Friday 26 August – further information is noted in this Grammarian.
If you would like to join the FOSP meeting online via Zoom or simply be added to a mailing list to join from time to time but not attend meetings, please email Deputy Head of Secondary Gordon Oldham at goldham@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Gordon Oldham
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Warragul Campus
HOUSE CULTURAL DAY
House Cultural Day returns in 2022, a wonderful opportunity for students from Years 7 to 12 to spend a day together as a house whilst they create an entertaining performance.
The event takes place on Tuesday 16 August and is a compulsory day of school.
Students attend Mentor Group in the morning before sitting with their house to watch an introductory performance – starring the Heads of House! – which will set a task for the house to complete.
By 2:00 pm, each house will be ready to produce a 10 minute performance, with at least 25 students from the House on stage at any given time, at least 20 speaking a line and it must include a song, a piece of choreographed movement/dance and the use of two mystery props.
Students wear House shirts and sport uniform for the day and it will be very enjoyable!
Gordon Oldham
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Warragul Campus
PARENT STUDENT TEACHER INTERVIEW EVENINGS
We warmly invite both students and parents to attend our Semester 2 Years 7 to 12 Parent Student Teacher Interview (PSTI) evenings. Details are as follows:
• Session 1: Wednesday 24 August, 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, face-to-face in the Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium
• Session 2: Tuesday 30 August, 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm, online via Zoom meetings
Bookings for both sessions were opened on Thursday 11 August and you should have received a recent email that outlines the booking process. We look forward to seeing you on the evening and if you have any difficulties, please contact Robyn Begelhole at the school.
Attending PSTIs is an invaluable way to discuss and monitor your child’s academic and pastoral progress. As a school, we report formatively and continuously. This means that you do not receive a traditional end of semester report which summarises your child’s learning. Instead, we report after each assessment task and you are able to access the feedback in real-time via our portal, MyStPauls. This allows you and your child to understand what needs to be done in order to improve. You do need to be actively using MyStPauls to ensure you are making the most of this reporting format. Prior to attending the PSTIs, in person or online via Zoom, it is suggested that you have reviewed your child’s progress and that you come prepared with questions for the individual teachers. The following questions can be asked of teachers to assist you to understand the learning needs of your child.
• What has my child had success with so far in your subject?
• If my child could do one thing to make the most improvement in your subject, what would that one thing be?
• What can I do at home to help my child with this?
Students are required to wear full school uniform when attending interviews. We look forward to speaking with you at these evenings.
Alice Zanella
Director of Middle School Studies
TEAM TIMOR STUDENT SOCIAL NIGHT
Team Timor is continuing fundraising efforts to fund the building of an English Language Study Centre, including furnishings, in the Malimea Village of East Timor. This centre will also be used by students from surrounding villages providing them all with valuable classes to improve their English skills.
The Team Timor co-curricular group has planned a Social Evening for students to be held in the Warragul Secondary School Library on Friday 26 August. Stay tuned for a Consent2Go email for further details and permission.
For information on the Social Night or the Malimea project please contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Andrea Heard
Team Timor
SAVE THE DATE: THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE JR. TO SET SAIL IN SEPTEMBER AT ST PAUL’S!
The Pirates of Penzance JR. is a family-friendly classic comedy that boasts one of the most famous patter songs in musical theatre history. The wit and whimsy of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic score are suffused with a modern sensibility and a dash of the melodramatic in this re-imagined version for young people. Our students have been hard at work singing, dancing and acting their way through rehearsals and working hard to prepare for this year’s St Paul’s School Production. The ravages of COVID-19 have prevented us from presenting musicals for a while, so this one is a highly anticipated return to the joys of musical theatre.
Set on the rocky coast of Cornwall, England, The Pirates of Penzance JR. begins with a group of pirates who are celebrating the birthday of one of their own, Frederic, who has reached his 21st year. Finally having served the full length of his required time with the pirates, he decides to strike off on his own and become an upstanding citizen – which may even mean bringing the pirates to justice. This turns out to be a tricky prospect indeed, especially when Frederic’s freedom is called into question!
Come and join in the fun and silliness of this swashbuckling tale as the enthusiastic cast of students weave their way through the operetta that launched modern musical theatre as we know it today! The Pirates of Penzance JR. will be performed at the West Gippsland Arts Centre on Thursday 8 September and Friday 9 September at 7:00 pm, and Saturday 10 September at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Tickets are now for sale on the West Gippsland Arts Centre’s online booking site.
Kylie Sinclair
Production Coordinator
WHAT’S ON IN TERM 3 SPORT
SEISA Intermediate/Senior Competition
Round 5: Thursday 18 August
Finals: Thursday 25 August
Selection process: Trials were completed on Tuesday 14 June.
Weekly logistics (travel arrangements): Will be published on the MyStPauls Sport page each Friday.
Training information, fixtures and results: Will be published regularly on the MyStPauls Sport page.
Event and consent information: Was distributed to families via Consent2Go late in Term 2. This needed to be approved by Wednesday 20 July.
2022 Alpinestars Schools Mountain Bike Series, Victoria
Date: Sunday 21 August, Sunday 11 September, Saturday 29 October (final)
Selection process: Expression of interest was advertised via MyStPauls Sport page in Term 2. All students/families who expressed interest have been involved in regular email communication.
The event series is a great way for students to get involved in racing their mountain bikes for their school in a fun and supportive environment. New and experienced riders are encouraged to participate.
Parent information and permission: Published via Consent2Go in Term 2. Regular email communication will be sent home in the lead-up to each event. This event does not involve school transport.
Sport Aerobics National Championships
Dates: Friday 19 August to Monday 22 August
Selection process: Teams have been selected and are currently training each Friday morning.
Team information: Consent2Go information will be distributed to families early in Term 3. Further information about flights, accommodation and other event information will be emailed to families once the event schedule is released.
Secondary Interschool Gymnastics
Dates: Monday 22 August to Friday 26 August
Compulsory trainings: Friday 12 August, Friday 19 August
Selection process: Expression of interest in Term 2 via email.
Gymnasts can compete in either the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics competition, which involves six apparatus, floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar or Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, comprising four apparatus, vault, bars, beam and floor.
Students will normally compete on one day – this will be published to families once the schedule is released.
More information: Will be communicated to parents once the event information is distributed to schools.
Event and training information: Will be distributed to families via Consent2Go in Term 3.
SEISA Spring Carnival
Date: Thursday 1 September (all day event)
Selection process: Student signups will be completed in early Term 3 via Mentor Group in addition to trials being run during lunchtimes. The boys netball teams will be the same as the Victorian Netball Championships Event.
• Junior Boys Netball (Years 7 – 8) *** Vic Champs Netball Team
• Intermediate Boys Netball (Years 9 – 10)
• Senior Boys Netball (Years 11 – 12) *** Vic Champs Netball Team
• Junior Girls Volleyball (Years 7 – 9)
• Senior Girls Volleyball (Years 10 – 12)
• Junior Boys Volleyball (Years 7 – 9)
• Senior Boys Volleyball (Years 10 – 12)
• Hockey Girls (Years 9 to 12)
• Badminton Girls (Years 7 – 12)
• Badminton Boys (Years 7 – 12)
• Table Tennis Girls (Years 7 – 12)
• Table Tennis Boys (Years 7 – 12)
Trial dates, training information and travel arrangements: Will be published regularly on the MyStPauls Sport page.
Event information and permission: Will be distributed to families via Consent2Go in Term 3.
Victorian All Schools Netball Championships, FINALS
Date: Friday 9 September (all day event)
Selection process: Teams were selected in Term 2 and competed in the qualifying rounds in Melbourne. The Senior Boys team has qualified for this event.
Event information and permission: Will be distributed to families via Consent2Go in early Term 3.
SEISA Cross Country
Date: Thursday 15 September (all day event)
Selection process: House Cross Country Carnival.
The SEISA Cross Country Carnival will be held at Newhaven College, Phillip Island.
Event information and permission: Will be distributed to families via Consent2Go in early Term 3.
Other Term 3 Sport Information
• All key sporting event information is published regularly on the MyStPauls Sport page. Students and families must be checking this page to keep informed.
• Further information on the St Paul’s equestrian teams will be published on the respective MyStPauls pages throughout the term.
• Junior students will be provided with an opportunity to sign up for Term 4 Summer SEISA later in Term 3.
Melissa Hoskings
Head of Sport, Warragul Secondary School
From the Chaplain
ANCIENT WISDOM, YOUTHFUL PASSION AND THE ENVIRONMENT It struck me recently that significant progress in addressing climate change may well come from two ends of …
From the Chaplain
ANCIENT WISDOM, YOUTHFUL PASSION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
It struck me recently that significant progress in addressing climate change may well come from two ends of the spectrum – the passion of our youngest people and the wisdom of our oldest culture. Let me explain what led me to this thought.
There is no doubt that young people are concerned about the state of the environment. A new global survey carried out in ten countries illustrates how anxious young people are feeling about climate change. According to the BBC report, nearly 60 per cent of young people approached say they feel very worried or extremely worried. More than 45 per cent say feelings about the climate affect their daily lives. Three-quarters of them say they find the future frightening. Over half (56 per cent) say they think humanity is doomed. Two-thirds reported feeling sad, afraid and anxious. Many feel fear, anger, despair, grief and shame – as well as hope. This comes as no surprise. The recent release of the State of the Environment report for Australia showed that climate change is exacerbating pressures on every Australian ecosystem and Australia now has more foreign plant species than native. The report also found the number of listed threatened species rose 8 per cent since 2016 and more extinctions are expected in the next decades. Not a report to inspire a lot of hope for our future but certainly fuel to motivate young people to take action.
At a similar time to the release of this report, the nation celebrated NAIDOC Week. National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday) to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. It is also a reminder that Indigenous peoples have an enormous capacity to make Australia more resilient to the climate crisis, as they have an extraordinary database of cultural knowledge reaching back to ancient climate change events. In Victoria, Gunditjmara people have kept knowledge of Australia’s last volcanic eruption, estimated to have occurred 37,000 years ago!
Hence my thought is that the answers to climate change may well be driven by young people while drawing on ancient wisdom. So what does this have to do with us here at St Paul’s? Our values of wisdom, integrity, compassion and respect can be applied as much to our treatment of our own natural environment as to each other. As a school we have done things like putting solar panels on our roofs and planting trees in Brooker Park. We also ask students and staff to be respectful and mindful of our environmental impact – putting rubbish in bins, not leaving taps running and being thoughtful about the amount of printing we do. The way we operate every day at school has a direct impact on the environment. When we start our assemblies and gatherings with an acknowledgement of country, we are acknowledging what Indigenous people can teach us about caring for the environment.
As an Anglican school we are informed by a Christian view of the world and the weight of Christian tradition would hold that we have a responsibility to be wise caretakers of the environment. As the Psalmist put it in the Bible reading this morning, “I look at the heavens you made with your hands. I see the moon and the stars you created. And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you?… You put them in charge of everything you made.”
Climate change and the state of the environment should be a matter of concern for us.
So whether we are inspired by the wisdom of Indigenous people who trod lightly on this land for so long, or by an understanding that God’s creation is our responsibility to care for, or perhaps simply by our concern for what the future holds, we want to continue to be a school that upholds our responsibility for the environment in the way we operate as well as inspiring and equipping young people to find solutions for the future.
In the words of Torres Strait Island Elder Aunty Rose Elu, “Climate change is a justice issue that God wants us to be actively engaged in.” “We need Christians to come together and join our hands to tackle climate change.”
A Climate Prayer
Creator God, giver of life
You sustain the earth and direct the nations
In this time of climate crisis Grant us clarity to hear the groaning of creation and the cries of the poor
Challenge us to change our lifestyles
Guide our leaders to take courageous action
Enable your church to be a beacon of hope
Foster within us a renewed vision of your purposes for your world through Jesus Christ our Lord
By and for whom all things were made.
Amen
Offered by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, as a prayer for the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference and to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain
