Traralgon Junior School

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

As Term 3 unfolded, we watched COVID-19 numbers increasing and waited for the news that we would return to online learning.  We all, no doubt, have been experiencing a range of emotions.  This week, teachers and students have very quickly organised themselves for round two of remote learning and our first few days have been a smooth and calm transition.  Teachers and students displayed a positive ‘can do’ attitude and there were many comments on Monday.  “We’ve done it once, we can do it again!” and “We’ve got this if we work as a team!” were overheard in conversations.  Our teachers and families can be very proud of their efforts and commitment to again move classroom learning to the MyStPauls platform in a very short period of time.  Hopefully things will be a little easier this time around.  Once again families are asked to ‘do what you can’ and hopefully with the minor changes we have made, you will be less pressured to get absolutely everything done every day.

Communication
Communication regarding round two of online learning has been emailed to parents.  These documents have also been posted on the Traralgon Junior School page of MyStPauls and parents are encouraged to regularly check this page for updates and information.  There have been some issues with outgoing emails over the past week with some parents not receiving this communication.  It is anticipated that the technical errors will be rectified this week and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused at such a critical time.

A few reminders after our first few days:
• Please make sure you (or your child) notes their attendance on the Social Stream each day.  Staff have been asked to check-in with families if a student is not present online.
• Students should be in their school sports uniform during their ‘learning time’ each day.
• Ensure your children are taking regular breaks from learning activities.  Physical activity will help your child maintain balance, renew energy and return back to learning with a clearer mind.
• If you experience any technical or MyStPauls issues, please direct them to itsupport@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au for assistance.
• For families eligible for onsite learning supervision, please make sure you have completed the onsite attendance form so we can confirm and also email onsite supervision protocols to you.

I would like to thank families for their continued consideration and cooperation regarding COVID-19 guidelines and testing.   As a community we are doing a fantastic job with staying home, being tested if unwell and wearing masks.

All of our families, teachers and students are important and their health and wellbeing are a priority.  For our students who are completing online learning at school with supervision, the following guidelines continue to apply.
• Do not send your child to school if they are unwell.
• If unwell with cold or flu like symptoms, we kindly request you contact your local doctor to discuss if a COVID-19 test is required.  Our understanding from the latest Government updates is that if anyone has any of the symptoms (even if only mild) they should be tested.
• If your child or anyone in your immediate family has been tested for COVID-19 please do not send your child to school until test results have returned as negative.

Parent/Teacher Interviews (PTIs)
At this stage we still intend to conduct PTIs on 9 and 10 September via Zoom.  More information will be emailed to families in the coming weeks.

School Photos
Please note that school photos have been rescheduled for Thursday 15 October.  Fingers crossed!

Good luck Ms Jo
We enjoyed a baby shower for Ms Jo Street on Tuesday and celebrated the anticipated birth of her baby.  Jo will soon be on maternity leave and we wish her and her family the very best.  We look forward to hearing lots of baby stories in the future.

Please remember to reach out and contact us should you require any support throughout this remote learning period.  We are here to assist any way we can and are only too happy to support our families.  There will be times when our patience and resilience are tested but we will get through this the best we can if we are kind to ourselves and each other.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

 

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

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Important Notification to Parent/Guardian – 2020 Non-Government School Census collection notice

Please click here to read this important notification

 

LIBRARY QUOTE COMPETITION

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School, Mr Brad McCabe. Dear Parents/Guardians, Thank you all for your patience as we work through the most recent …

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Traralgon Secondary School

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

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Thank you all for your patience as we work through the most recent changes in relation to the operations of our school.  We are a strong, resilient community at St Paul’s and I know we will once again manage the challenges that lie ahead.  You can count on us to provide certainty and routine for your children at this challenging time.

The commitment of our St Paul’s community to quality education has never been in doubt and our shared values will see us through this period.  Earlier this year, our teaching staff demonstrated that online learning could be taught exceptionally well, with many students enjoying the change in approach to learning.  While we recognise that nothing is better than face-to-face teaching, we have confidence that St Paul’s will, once again, deliver exceptional online education to our students.

Based on our experience earlier this year, along with the feedback we received from staff, students and parents, we have made a couple of small refinements to the School’s online learning protocols for students.  Our creative and adaptable staff have continued to develop a number of innovative practices and ideas to ensure that our students get the very best education online.

Head of Secondary Online Learning Tips and Tricks

1.  Have a dedicated study space.
Whether you decide to work in the home office or in your living room, ensure that this place is quiet, organised, distraction-free and available for use during the school day.  A good learning environment should be one of your main priorities.

2. Identify the main objectives and goals for each subject.
To stay on track with your online learning, it is important to always keep in mind what you hope to accomplish by the end of each class.  Understanding the focus and goals for each class created an excellent road map during the online learning journey.

3. Create a to-do list and use your diary/calendar.
At the start of each week, make a to-do list of the tasks you need to complete, add or cross off tasks as the week progresses.  This is an excellent way to prioritise your study plan and stay on track with your learning.

4. Ask for help when you need it.
While it might seem ‘easier’ to search for answers to your online subject-related questions independently and through the use of the internet; do not hesitate to contact your teacher when you are stuck and need clarity.   If you do not ask for help when required, you may end up falling behind and remember, everyone needs help at some point throughout a lesson.

5. Have screen breaks.
Viewing a computer screen for most of the day can be quite tiring or frustrating, which is counterproductive.  Having small breaks from the screen can help to increase productivity and longevity.  Also, when taking a break, make sure that you get away from your study space; you need to have a change of scenery.  A mild physical activity, such as a walk around the garden, will help you maintain balance, renew energy and go back to studying with a clearer mind.

6. Participate in online discussions.
Online learning does not mean learning in isolation.  Connecting with your virtual classmates via MyStPauls, Microsoft Teams, or your class forums will increase your personal online learning experience, especially if you are an introvert.

Frequently Asked Questions – Online Learning
Please click here for more information, FAQ online learning

Day 1 of return to online learning
I asked the Year 10 students to describe their first day of online learning in one word, this is what they said:
Brad McCabe
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

 

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Important Notification to Parent/Guardian – 2020 Non-Government School Census collection notice

Please click here to read this important notification

 

LIBRARY NEWS

Premiers’ Reading Challenge (PRC)
For the fourteenth consecutive year, St Paul’s students from Years 3 to 10 have elected to enrol in the Premiers’ Reading Challenge (PRC).  Their challenge is to read a minimum of fifteen books by 18 September 2020.  The response to take on the PRC has been impressive and the opportunity to earn house points is an added bonus that was introduced last year.  The number of applicants grows each year with thirty successful students in 2019 and seventy-three students from across both campuses registered to date for 2020.

During online learning, students have been able to borrow books from the school’s Wheelers ePlatform in either eBook or audio format. Many students have been reading old favourites from their own bookshelves and some have accessed their local library’s eBooks and audio book platforms.  Earlier this term, our school libraries established a ‘click and collect’ service for students to take home a selection of print books while learning from home.

Students can enrol in the PRC up to 11 September 2020.  They can visit the MyStPauls Library Page for access to our eBook platform and ‘click and collect’ information. Any queries can be directed to Mrs O’Malley by email at ssomalley@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Library Quote Competition

GARDENING CLUB

This week we started planting a mixture of vegetables and herbs in our garden plots.  Many Years 7 and 8 students helped with this.  When school returns from remote learning, I will acknowledge and show photos of the marvellous work they have been doing.  I would like to thank all the students who are showing such enthusiasm for this project that they wanted to give up every lunchtime for it instead of just one day a week on Wednesdays.  In the meantime, I will maintain the garden and create a portfolio that you can all look at.

Ms Annette Young

Warragul Secondary School

From the Head of Warragul Secondary School, Ms Laura Butterworth. Return to Remote Learning The announcement of a return to online learning was met with …

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Warragul Secondary School

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

Return to Remote Learning
The announcement of a return to online learning was met with mixed feelings by our students.  There were many who were apprehensive and disappointed and others who were comfortable with the prospect of six further weeks learning from home.  After a whirlwind few days our teachers and education support staff worked tirelessly to get prepared and on Wednesday online learning began in earnest once again.  We are very appreciative of the support our families have shown us as we react, often at pace, to the directives we are given.

We do believe that the initial novelty of online learning has worn off for many of our students and this second phase may be more challenging than the first.  We are going to actively monitor our students remotely and will certainly be in contact if we detect any changes in behaviour, mood or motivation.  We would, however, encourage our families to reach out to us if you believe your child needs extra support at this time.  This is an intense time for our Year 12 students as they near the end of their final year and are doing so from home.  We hope they may be able to use the reduced travel time to and from school to balance their studies with some alternative health and wellbeing activities.

Each Head of Year can be contacted on the email addresses below:
Head of Year 12 – Mr Ben Zanella, bzanella@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 11 – Mr Brad Kooloos, bbkooloos@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 10 – Mrs Age Percy, ampercy@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 9 – Mr Peter Willems, pwillems@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 8 – Mr Scott Armour, sarmour@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 7 – Mr Matthew Shearing, mshearing@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

An email was sent earlier this week regarding Onsite Supervision for students of essential workers.  If you would like to register your child/children please fill out the registration form and email it through to lbutterworth@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

2021 Senior Years’ Virtual Information Evening
Thank you to those families who accessed our Senior Years’ Virtual Information Session on Tuesday 28 July.  The feedback from families has been positive and we are so pleased to have been able to provide the information in an alternative format this year.  The website will remain open and accessible for families until Friday 14 August 2020.  The subject selections for our 2021 Year 11 and Year 12 cohorts are due by 3:30 pm today, Friday 7 August.  Our Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 cohorts must submit their subject selections by 3:30 pm, Friday 14 August 2020.

If you would like to speak to a teacher regarding a particular subject then please contact the relevant Head of Faculty listed below:
Ms Natalie Bellis, Head of English, nbellis@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Graham Dewhurst, Head of Mathematics and Information Technology, gadewhurst@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Ben Zanella, Head of Health, PE and Food Technology, bzanella@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Ms Nova Doherty, Head of Visual Art, ndoherty@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mrs Carissa Kelly, Head of Science, ckelly@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Andrew O’Connor, Head of Commerce and Humanities, aoconnor@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mr Chris Staben, Head of Performing Arts, crstaben@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mrs Rebecca Crossley, Head of Japanese, rcrossley@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Dr Kathleen Dauguet, Head of French, kdauguet@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
Mrs Andrea Terry, Head of Individual Education Program, aterry@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Unit 3 and 4 Parent Student Teacher Interview (PSTIs) on Zoom
On Tuesday 28 July we held our first PSTIs evening via the video conferencing software, Zoom.  It was a successful evening and allowed for a relaxed meeting between teachers and families.  Our first evening of Years 7 to 11 PSTIs will be held on Tuesday 18 August 2020 and information will be sent to families closer to the date regarding the evening.

Ms Hoskings and Mr Gautam (below) enjoying the new PSTI Zoom experience.

Ms Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

 

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YEAR 10 CONFERENCE 2020

On Thursday 23 July the Year 10 students from our Warragul Campus participated in a one-day conference program.  Sessions throughout the day focused on future career pathways (whether that be going straight into the workforce, an apprenticeship or going to university or TAFE), what to expect in VCE, and life balance and mental wellbeing.

Some thoughts from the students:

“The Career Wise session was extremely interesting as it showed us some of the main aspects of our personality and how we work, as well as some career options many of us would never have considered.  Everyone was amazed at how accurate the results were and it was definitely one of the highlights of the whole day.” Jorgia Neyland

“The ATAR and Career Options session led by Mrs Cumming gave an interesting insight into the career diversity that modern students have access to and the likelihood of several career changes throughout one’s professional life.” Lajuventi Pannu

“Mr Testa’s VCE and VCAA session was both engaging and informative; he made these content heavy topics easy to dilute and enjoyable to learn about.” Kuzi Ruzive-Makura

“The wellbeing session was very useful in the sense that it gave students a rough idea of what they are heading into for Years 11 and 12.  It also gave us an insight into things we need to work on to go through VCE with a healthy mind and body – things like sleep, exercise, relationships and more.” Mayah Cannon

 

Important Notification to Parent/Guardian – 2020 Non-Government School Census collection notice

Please read this important notification here

 

ONLINE MATHS HELP

Years 10 to 12, Tuesdays at 3:30 pm
Years 7 to 9, Tuesdays at Lunchtime
Please speak to your Maths teacher for more information or to participate.

 

VICTORIAN PREMIERS’ READING CHALLENGE

For the fourteenth consecutive year, some students from Years 7 to 10 have enrolled in the Premiers’ Reading Challenge (PRC).  Their challenge is to read a minimum of fifteen books by 18 September 2020.  The response to take on the PRC has been impressive and the opportunity to earn house points is an added bonus that was introduced last year.  The number of applicants grows each year with thirty successful students in 2019 and seventy-three students from across both campuses registered to date.

During online learning, students have been able to borrow books from the school’s Wheelers ePlatform in either eBook or audio format.  Many students have been reading old favourites from their own bookshelves and some have accessed their local library’s eBook and audio book platforms.  Earlier this term, our school libraries offered a ‘click and collect’ service for students to take home a selection of print books while learning from home.

Students can enrol in the PRC up to 11 September.  They can visit the MyStPauls Library Page for access to our eBook platform and ‘click and collect’ information.

Warragul Junior School

From the Head of Warragul Junior School, Mr Rowan van Raay. “We’ve done it once, we can do it again!!!” is what one of the …

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Warragul Junior School

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

“We’ve done it once, we can do it again!!!” is what one of the Year 2 students said to me on Monday when I was speaking to a group of them in the yard.  How right they are (and I am sure all our families agree ????) and what a wondering attitude from one of our younger students.  Everyone has been working exceptionally hard to be well prepared for round two of remote learning and hopefully things will be a little easier this time around.  Once again, I ask families to ‘do what you can’ and hopefully with the minor changes we have made, you will feel less pressured to ‘get absolutely everything done, every day’.

A few reminders after our first few days:
•  Please make sure you (or your child) notes their attendance on the Social Stream each day.  Staff have been asked to check-in with families if a student is not present online.
•  Students should be in their school sports uniform during their ‘learning time’ each day.
•  Whenever your child attends onsite for supervision, please ensure they bring their learning packs and student diary with them to school each time.  Please make sure you have completed the onsite attendance form so we can confirm and also email onsite supervision protocols to you.
•   If you experience any technical or MyStPauls issues, please direct them to itsupport@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au for assistance.

Most of all, please reach out and contact us should you require any support throughout this remote learning period.  We are here to assist any way we can and are only too happy to support our families in any way.   There will be times when our patience and resilience are tested but we will get through this the best we can if we are kind to ourselves and each other.

I will be keeping families updated, so please keep checking the Warragul Junior School page on MyStPauls regularly for these updates.

ICAS
There is now an additional sitting date for ICAS competitions and families who have registered their children should visit the website for further information.

Parent Teacher Interviews ( PTIs)
At this stage we still intend to conduct PTIs on 26 and 27 August via Zoom.  More information will be emailed to families in the coming weeks.

School Photos
Please note that school photos have been rescheduled for Thursday 15 October.  Finger crossed!

Stay safe everyone.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

 

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

Purchase uniforms from the Dobsons website here, Dobsons School Uniforms Online

 

Important Notification to Parent/Guardian – 2020 Non-Government School Census collection notice

Please click here to read this important notification

 

From the Chaplain

ORANGE JUICE AND GRATITUDE. Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr Phil Coombs, our Design and Technology Hard Materials teacher, on the topic of …

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ORANGE JUICE AND GRATITUDE.

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr Phil Coombs, our Design and Technology Hard Materials teacher, on the topic of gratitude.  During the interview Phil told a great story about an incident that happened when he was ten years old.  He was outside his house mowing the lawn.  The neighbour across the road, from a family who had just moved in, was also mowing their lawn when their lawnmower caught on fire.  Being a quick-thinking young lad, Phil ran over with a glass of orange juice and tipped it onto the fire to put it out.  Looking back on this event he observes that, as strange as it may sound, he is grateful that the lawnmower caught fire because that incident started a friendship with the neighbouring family that has endured for over forty years.

In the last Grammarian I talked about the trampoline of joy and the idea that joy is something that runs deeper than a happiness which is dependent on our circumstances.  In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul writes “Always be joyful and never stop praying.  Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Just as joy can be found even in the direst of circumstances, so too can gratitude.  It is easy to be thankful when we compare ourselves to others who are worse off than us.  We compare our COVID-19 situation with the UK or America, we compare our Stage 3 lockdown with the tighter restrictions of those in Melbourne.  But this sort of thankfulness, while helpful, is still dependant on our circumstances.  Some of you reading this may well be in a Stage 4 lockdown area.  Now you need to find someone doing it even tougher than you in order to be thankful that you are not in their shoes.  While of course we can be thankful that we are not in a worse position, perhaps a better approach to gratitude is to find thankfulness in any circumstance.  Rather than turning our gaze down to how much worse it could be, we lift our gaze to the good things which do not change.  As a Christian, much of my joy is found in the knowledge that nothing I do can reduce God’s love and care for me. In the same way, I can be thankful whatever my circumstances because nothing that happens to me can separate me from God’s love.  In fact, God knows what it is to suffer and promises to walk with me through even the darkest valleys of life.  For most of us now, circumstances are not that great.  But that does not mean we cannot find joy in life and choose to be thankful.  So, when the lawnmower of your life catches fire, look for the kid with a glass of orange juice.  You never know – today’s disaster might be the catalyst for a life-long friendship.

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

 

From the Principal

My optimism about being able to continue learning on-site for the whole term has turned out to be forlorn, but I suppose that getting to …

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From the Principal

My optimism about being able to continue learning on-site for the whole term has turned out to be forlorn, but I suppose that getting to Week 4 is at least something.  I am heartened by the knowledge that our remote teaching and learning was largely very well received last time and I know that our caring, talented teachers are well equipped to provide a high-quality educational experience irrespective of the context, and they will work their hardest to do so throughout Term 3.  This can only occur with the assistance and cooperation of our students and families, and I sincerely thank everyone in the St Paul’s community once again for your ongoing support of our School.

School families will receive a communique from me on Friday 7 August advising of work the School is doing to influence federal education policy and to seek your help in this process if you are interested.  We have joined with a number of other schools across the country to put a case to the Federal Government to reconsider its proposed changes to the funding arrangements for Independent Schools, to which I have referred in previous Grammarian articles.

Advocacy firm, RedBridge Group, has been engaged to assist us with this work.  Part of their approach is to conduct focus groups with parents to understand your needs and expectations regarding your children’s schooling and Government support for Independent Schools.  RedBridge will not be reporting back to us on who participates and their work will not identify anyone in any way.

We are undertaking this work because we believe the proposed changes being considered by the Commonwealth Government could disadvantage schools like ours and we want to work with the Government to achieve an equitable outcome across the sector.

Thank you for your consideration and if you are interested in participating, please refer to my emailed communique dated Friday 7 August for further details.

Cameron Herbert
Principal