In this issue

From the Head of Traralgon Junior School,
Mrs Gwen Hunter.

Dear Parents,

ASSEMBLIES
This term we are continuing to trial a new approach to assemblies on Monday afternoons.  Each week our start time will be just after 2:20 pm in the gym.  At 2:55 pm Prep to Year 2 and ELC (when they join us) will return to their classrooms and the Years 3 to 6 will remain for their Chapel session.  For those parents who will be waiting for their children after assembly, tea and coffee will be served in the gym foyer for a chance to chat with one another and Mrs Hunter.  Feel free to join us.

SAMARITAN’S PURSE – OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Today is the last day to bring along any items that you have at home for Samaritan’s Purse Boxes or any full boxes.  Collection numbers are significantly down from what we have collected in the past.  If you can, please dig deep and send along just a couple of items that can be packed together to make up a box as a school.

LUNCHTIME CLUBS
Just a reminder that we always have a whole range of lunchtime clubs being offered each term.  Naturally some clubs will come and go from term to term, but others remain consistent each term, such as Library Lunch and ELC Come and Play.  A big thanks to staff who run these clubs and their efforts in keeping our children entertained and engaged during what can be for some, a long lunchtime.
Here are some pictures of an enthusiastic bunch during Builders Club last week.

VICSPELL COMPETITION
Last week Shalini Chowdhury, Asmi Pathania and Liv Comben represented the School at the Regional Vicspell competition, hosted by Newborough Primary School.  The competition was an extremely high standard and all three girls tried their absolute best, spelling some very varied and challenging words.  Congratulations to all three tremendous spellers for their efforts.  A huge shout out to Michael Gali who should have competed too, but unfortunately could not make it on the day due to sickness.
SEUSSICAL PRODUCTION
Only two weeks to go until our annual school production!
Students and staff are busily working away behind the scenes, practising and preparing for this year’s musical called ‘Seussical Kids’!  Teachers will have contacted families about costumes for your children and the music and lyrics have been publicised on MyStPauls.  Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher about any details of required costumes.

The matinee performance at 11:00 am will be prefaced by our Grandparents Morning, where grandparents or significant friends are very welcome to join their grandchildren with activities in class from 9:15 am to 10:15 am and then a morning tea before the matinee performance of the musical.  Tickets can be ordered through Carlie at the office.

PSTI
Please do not forget that we have Parent Student Teacher Interviews next week.
Bookings will close on Monday afternoon, so do not miss out on talking to your child’s teacher.  The link to book in is: http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au and password: qwtfy

BOOK WEEK
Well done to everyone for their fabulous efforts at the Book Week parade earlier this week. From all accounts the costumes were amazing and the ingenious ideas and efforts were a credit to you all.

As you can see there is never a dull moment round the school!

Have a great fortnight.

Gwen Hunter
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

AUGUST
27 August  ELC Possum Group Father’s Evening, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
28 August  Parent Student Teacher Interviews, 3:45 pm to 8:00 pm
ELC Joey Group Father’s Evening, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
29 August  Parent Student Teacher Interviews, 3:45 pm to 6:00 pm
ELC Koala Group Father’s Day Evening, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
30 August  FOSP Father’s Day Stall
Summer Sports, Basketball

SEPTEMBER
2 September  ELC Wombat Group Father’s Evening, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
3 September  Division Athletics Day
4 September  Vicspell Finals
5 September  Grandparents and Special Person’s Day
Junior School Musical ‘Seussical Kids’, Gymnasium, 11:00 am (special Grandparents and Special Person’s Day performance) and 7:00 pm performance
6 September  Years 1 and 3 Starlab Incursion
9 to 11 September  Years 3 and 4 Camp, Forest Edge
11 September  Prep to Year 2 Swimming Carnival
13 September  Pie and Footy Day
17 September  Purple Day
19 September  ICAS Maths Assessment
20 September  Last Day Term 3, 2:30 pm FINISH

YEAR 6 EISTEDDFOD

Year 6 students at the Traralgon Campus had the chance to compete in their own internal Eisteddfod on Wednesday 7 August.  They chose their own poems to read, decided how to present it and practised until they were word perfect.  We were lucky enough to have three guest judges help us with this event.  Paul and Irene Taylor share many years of experience acting and singing in local dramatic groups and have helped us out for the last three years.  Andy McNabb came to the school to be involved in an event which he has always loved and supported and was delighted to be involved in, as a judge.  They listened to the recitals and gave constructive feedback and encouragement to the students.  It was a morning of achievement, nerves and stepping right out of their comfort zones.  Some of the readings were later performed in front of the school during Reading Week and were very much appreciated by the younger students.

Fiona Ridger
Year 6 Teacher

All of Year 6 with the judges.

Irene Taylor giving general feedback to the students.

Year 6 students receiving helpful advice from the judges.

WHAT A LOT OF CHARACTERS!

The most exciting and entertaining time of year for me is Book Week when we get to celebrate books, authors and stories.

On Tuesday morning the gym was positively bursting with colourful costumes ranging from the elaborate to the simple but all demonstrating a love of books and their characters.  In addition, the hard work and thoughtfulness of students, parents and teachers was evident and much appreciated by everyone there.

Later in the day, the secondary students visited the Junior School and after finding a buddy everyone had half an hour to share in the magic of a made up world or the information about a favourite sport or the excitement of a mystery; just some of things discovered in books.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the day, I had an amazing day and hope everyone else did too.

Susan O’Malley
Librarian

Thomas Pendergast has ten apples up on top.

Ruby King aka the Booger Fairy from ‘The Flim Flam Fairies’.

Ava Burslem as ‘This is a ball’.

Zeke Light, Lachlan Speairs, Hayden Berton and Kyle Bugeja.

DICTIONARIES A BIG HIT IN PONILALA, EAST TIMOR!

Thanks to the kind generosity of parents and students from all campuses, we were able to present each student at Ponilala School with their own personal English-Tetun dictionary.  Our visit to the Ponilala School was one of the major highlights on our Timor trip, partly due to the joy and happiness we witnessed from students receiving their books.  Students cheered, clapped and some even high fived each other when they heard they would receive their own copy, a response one would not encounter in an Australian classroom!   Some students would not even put their dictionary down when later playing soccer and AFL, preferring to hold it with one hand as they marked the ball.   Many thanks to everyone who supported our ‘Dictionary Drive’, something as little as a $5 donation can make a big impact on the lives of students who have very little.

If you would like to help with Team Timor or donate to our ongoing fundraising effort to build new classrooms at Ponilala School, please contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Warragul Campus or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Traralgon Campus.

Students at Ponilala School with their dictionaries.

COFFEE FOR FATHER’S DAY!

With Father’s Day fast approaching, give a special man in your life a bag of rich, smooth East Timor Coffee with $3 from every bag sold through the school going towards our fundraising to build new classrooms for Ponilala Village School.  Growing and exporting coffee beans is also a sustainable and vital part of the Ermera district economy, where Ponilala is situated.  Your present will not only taste great but contribute to a worthy cause.

Bags of plunger, filter or beans can be purchased for $12.  Contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au to place an order.

CLASS AWARDS

Koala
Laura for independently assisting her peers when needed.
Grace for bravely holding Olivia the python with her friends.
Henry for using his words to negotiate with his friends.
Wombat
Kou for committed and enthusiastic participation in learning.
Sam for creative use of materials to build ‘Marshmallow man’.
Max for demonstrating leadership when required.
Prep T
Wesley for his consistent efforts in presenting his ‘Big Talks’ every week.  Great job Wes!
Khloe for her cheerful approach and efforts with her handwriting.  Keep up the great work Khloe.
Prep S
Evie for always showing a positive attitude to classroom activities and trying her best.
Ilias for his excellent attitude towards learning tasks and contributing great ideas during class discussions.
1W
Lewis for recognising that we can not have two digits in the ones column and knowing why.
2C
Melia for being a very helpful member of her group and keeping everyone else ‘on track’.
3CD
Jake for a fantastic effort incorporating all four elements of VCOP in your writing.
3BH
Anson for being responsible and self-motivated to regularly change his take-home books without being reminded or asked to do so.
Amelia for an excellent effort to use connectives and more advanced punctuation in her persuasive writing.
4S
Meriel for confidently contributing to class discussions and displaying excellent inferring skills.
Brody for your persistence and determination to improve your handwriting.
4P
Dylan for using feedback to improve his level of work.
Ryder Comben for showing consideration to his peers and making sure no one is left out.
Freya for applying her understanding of parts of speech to construct clear and entertaining sentences.

ARTISTS OF THE WEEK

Year 1 students have been learning to draw cartoon people.

They have drawn many variations on eyes, noses and mouths in their journals to improve their skills in depicting emotions and character.  They have also learnt how to draw hair, bodies and other features, such as ears.  The cartoon characters were coloured with oil pastels and if you look closely you will see many shades blended together.  The backgrounds are painted with metallic silver and gold.

Congratulations to our Artists of the Week: Glodia Law 1W, Max Vu 1F, Ava Burslem 1F and Evelyn Bradey 1W.
Mim Cavanagh
Art Specialist

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

Visit from Hinode Gakuen
From Thursday 15 August until Monday 19 August we had a lovely visit from our Japanese sister school, Hinode Gakuen.  Their teacher, Mr Kojima, accompanied four delightful students, Yuna, Masaki, Eito and Yuuka.  We held a special assembly to honour them at which all the Japanese students did a great job of speaking to our students in English.  They each presented the school with a gift of a wall hanging replicating some iconic Japanese works of art.  Mr Kojima told the assembly he loved our huge green fields, the gym training room and the friendliness of our students.  He said he could see no naughty students.  This comment drew a wry smile from some of our staff.

Thank you also to Christie Bransgrove (Local and International Community Relations), Rebecca Crossley (Head of Japanese), Shinya Takusari and Deborah Gatti for their effort in organising the visit and a special thank you to our host families for their wonderful hospitality.

Junior School Book Week and Reading Hour
It was a delight for the Secondary School to be invited to read with the Junior School students.  Thank you to Susan O’Malley for organising the reading session.  Every time secondary students spend time with the junior students there is a tremendous warmth and camaraderie, this was no exception.

Congratulations Olivia
Congratulations to Olivia O’Brien who was the Regional Zone Vicspell winner for Year 8 and will progress to the State Finals next week.  We wish her all the very best!

Parent Teacher Student Interviews.
Interviews are scheduled from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm Tuesday 27 August and Thursday 5 September.  The instructions on how to book interviews have been emailed and were also in the previous Grammarian.

Stephen Klemke
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

Hinode Gakuen students with their host brothers and sisters.

Olivia receiving her award.

Reading Hour.

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

AUGUST
26 August  Courage to Care, Drouin
Complete Works Incursion, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Year 9, 1:50 pm to 3:30pm
27 August  Parent Student Teacher Interviews, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm
29 August  SEISA Winter Sport, Intermediate/Senior, Round 5

SEPTEMBER
2 September  Melbourne Writers Festival
ICAS Digital Technologies Test
3 September  ICAS Digital Technologies Test
4 September  ICAS Digital Technologies Test
ICAS Science Test
5 September  ICAS Science Test
SEISA Winter Finals
Parent Student Teacher Interview, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm
6 September  ICAS Science Test
Elite Sports Program Seminar

DICTIONARIES A BIG HIT IN PONILALA, EAST TIMOR!

Thanks to the kind generosity of parents and students from all campuses, we were able to present each student at Ponilala School with their own personal English-Tetun dictionary.  Our visit to the Ponilala School was one of the major highlights on our Timor trip, partly due to the joy and happiness we witnessed from students receiving their books.  Students cheered, clapped and some even high fived each other when they heard they would receive their own copy, a response one would not encounter in an Australian classroom!   Some students would not even put their dictionary down when later playing soccer and AFL, preferring to hold it with one hand as they marked the ball.   Many thanks to everyone who supported our ‘Dictionary Drive’, something as little as a $5 donation can make a big impact on the lives of students who have very little.

If you would like to help with Team Timor or donate to our ongoing fundraising effort to build new classrooms at Ponilala School, please contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Warragul Campus or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Traralgon Campus.

Students at Ponilala School with their dictionaries.

COFFEE FOR FATHER’S DAY!

With Father’s Day fast approaching, give a special man in your life a bag of rich, smooth East Timor Coffee with $3 from every bag sold through the school going towards our fundraising to build new classrooms for Ponilala Village School.  Growing and exporting coffee beans is also a sustainable and vital part of the Ermera district economy, where Ponilala is situated.  Your present will not only taste great but contribute to a worthy cause.

Bags of plunger, filter or beans can be purchased for $12.  Contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au to place an order.

PROJECT ROCKIT

Digital Ambassador
On Tuesday 13 August, twenty students from Years 7 to 9 attended a presentation delivered by Project RockIT, a youth driven movement against bullying and in particular cyberbullying.  Project RockIT run workshops that upskill and inspire young people to challenge cyberbullying instead of standing by and watching.  Presenters, Ethan and Elsa engagingly introduced the topic with interesting activities that had the students raising their hands eagerly to participate.

Throughout the presentation they explained how negative comments can be tackled on social media without making matters worse.  Simple things like making a positive comment can shut down the next flow of negative vibes.

Our selected students will now bring this message into their respective classes and hope to inspire the rest of the school to become digital ambassadors.

BIBLE SOCIETY MASTERCLASS EXCURSION

Each year the Bible Society runs a free Masterclass that aims to inspire, challenge and equip students to think deeply about the Christian faith in today’s world.  Featuring high quality speakers and opportunities for Q&A, the sessions are consistently engaging and challenging for students.

St Paul’s will be taking a group of students to this year’s Masterclass on Thursday 29 August.  There are still places available for this excursion for students in Years 9 to 12 (we have permission to bring Year 12 students).  For more information and permission forms please email Rev. Lowe dnlowe@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Mr Treble gtreble@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

SPORT NEWS

SEISA Intermediate/Senior Winter Round Robin
With only one round to go in this term’s Intermediate/Senior SEISA Winter Round robin, we potentially have our students vying for three finals in their respective teams; senior boys hockey, girl’s intermediate soccer and intermediate boys AFL.  All our teams have been highly competitive and displaying great sportsmanship.  We wish them all the best next Thursday in their final round against Beaconhills, Pakenham.

Intermediate Boys AFL.

Interschool Gymnastics Competition
Last Thursday our Gymnastics team had a great day at Casey Stadium, competiting against other schools in Melbourne and outlying areas.  Whilst the results were really positive, the behaviour, sportsmanship and support shown towards each other was outstanding.  Special thanks to Ms Witney, Ms Enders and Ms Hoskings (Head of Sport – Warragul) for taking the students down and supporting them throughout the day.

Our results were: Indi Van Berkel – first place in the D level junior competition, Anna Griffin – second place in the D level junior competition and Indi Van Berkel, Jade Derham, Anna Griffin, Sienna Smith and Andrianna Fatouros – second place in the D level team junior competition.  Molly Van Berkel – second place in the A2 level competition, Annalise Strini – equal second place in the D level senior competition, Miriam Warwick – fourth place in the D level senior competition and Annalise Strini, Miriam Warwick, Charlotte Shaw, Tabitha Cooper and Monique Hastie – second place in the D level senior competition.

St Paul’s Gymnastics Team – combined St Paul’s Warragul and St Paul’s Traralgon students.

Molly Van Berkel.

My first Open Swim experience – by Kaja Tierney
At 8:00 am Saturday on St Kilda beach, with the air temperature an average of six to nine degrees and the water temperature roughly ten degrees, I chose to swim the Winter Ocean Series.  The water some mornings was smooth and clear and at other times, rough and murky.  With no lane ropes to hold on to, or walls to push off from, just a buoy bobbing up and down in the distance, you try and prepare yourself to swim out to the marker for the start.  Swimming without a wetsuit for the first few races was extremely tough, even when deciding to use a wetsuit for the longer distances of one kilometre and one and a half kilometres, still made swimming in the cold water physically and mentally challenging.  Open water swimming is like no other, it is tough going.
I was fortunate to have met and be mentored by Don Riddington who at sixty-five years old swam the English Channel in nineteen hours with no wetsuit or cage. Don is the oldest man in Australia to swim the channel. AMAZING!

Kaja is now gearing up for the upcoming triathlon season where she will combine her swimming prowess with cycling and running.

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

As a finalist for the Best STEM Program in the Australian Education Awards, STEM Coordinator, Ms Rapinett and I had the pleasure of representing the Warragul Junior School at the awards ceremony in Sydney last Friday evening.  Whilst we did not come home with the top award, to be recognised as one of ten finalists is an outstanding achievement and acknowledgement for the Junior School staff and students for their dedication and hard work.

Congratulations to Annalise van de Beek, Anoushka Kerhalkar, William Blackwood and Meg Cooper who competed in the Vicspell Baw Baw Zone Final on Wednesday.  All competed really well and should be proud of their efforts as standing in front of an audience and spelling difficult words is never an easy thing to do!   The Junior School hosted this event once again and my thanks to Miss McGrath for all of her organisation and for overseeing proceedings on the day.

Eli Raymond, Jim Cutler, Leah Bek and Henry Clemence were successful in winning our Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 Public Speaking competition and will now represent our Junior School at the Lions Club Public Speaking Competition next Wednesday evening and the Warragul Country Club.  We wish them all well and I thank Mrs Smethurst and Miss Begg for coordinating our in-house competition.

Our Tournament of the Minds teams have been busy preparing for their competition which will be held tomorrow.  We wish our three teams, STEM, Language Literature and Performing Arts all the best.  My thanks to all of the staff who have supported the teams in the lead up to the competition and on the day.

A reminder that Parent Teacher Interviews will be held next Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 August.  We have an online booking system for PTI and to access the booking system go to: http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au  You will be required to enter a School Code, which is 8e2fp.  Once you have made your bookings, please print out the ‘Interview Timetable’ generated by the system.  If parents book a phone interview with a staff member, these calls will be made at some stage during next week and not necessarily at the designated time you select.

Our FOSTA parent group will be holding a Father’s Day Stall held next Friday 30 August.  There will be gifts available from $1.00 to $10.00 and cards for 50c and students should bring a bag to take their gifts home in. Students should bring their money early next week as there will be no ‘IOUs’.

I also remind families who would like access to our Performing Arts Concert video to follow the link below and you will be able to download the show for yourself. (Please note that the link will expire on 31 August 2019).
Follow this link to access the Performing Arts Concert:  Performing Arts Concert

Our Years 3 to 6 Musical is only a few weeks away (Thursday 13 September) and hopefully families have received all of the information and have booked their tickets.  Could I please ask any families who are yet to book their tickets to do so ASAP.  Tickets can be booked through the West Gippsland Arts Centre website: www.wgac.com.au – What’s On/Theatre Shows

Finally, could I please remind all families that at the end of the day the pick-up lane near the ELC is a no standing zone until 3:20 pm.  This allows ELC families time to park and collect their children from the ELC before Junior School students are dismissed at 3:20 pm.

A reminder to parents that school finishes at 2:20 pm on the last day of Term 3, Friday 20 September.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

AUGUST
24 August  Tournament Of Minds
26 August  Year 3 Excursion, Trash Mountain
28 August  Lions Club Public Speaking Competition (selected students only)
Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
ELC Pre-Prep Father’s Evening
29 August  Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm
30 August  Father’s Day Stall

SEPTEMBER
2 September  Parent Prayer Group, Prideaux Centre, 9:00 am
3 September  Years 5 and 6 Hoop Time
4 September  Division Athletics, Joe Carmody Track, Newborough
5 September  Year 6 Excursion – Mawarra
10 September  Musical Dress Rehearsals (all day)
12 September  2019 Junior School Musical, ‘Pinocchio’, Show 1 6:00 pm, Show 2 8:00 pm
17 September  Year 2 Incursion – Gippsland Water
20 September  Footy Colours Day and FOSTA Special Lunch
End of Term 3, 2:20pm FINISH

GOVERNMENT BUS ROUTE OUTAGE

Please make a diary note of the following dates for travellers using the Warragul Regional College (WRC) Bus network.
Monday 9 September:  Bus 3 will not be running due to a Warragul Regional College student free day.  This affects all travellers using Bus 3 and connecting buses at Warragul Regional College.

Please ensure you have alternate transport in place for these days.

SRC NEWS

Our Term 3 SRC fundraising efforts have been decided by the Term 3 representatives.  They have agreed to support Footscape and MND.  Footscape is an Australian charity that assists disadvantaged individuals and communities predisposed to debilitating foot pathology http://www.footscape.com.au/  This initiative came from Year 6 student, Taz Davidson and we will be collecting footwear and socks throughout the rest of Term 3.  Any families who would like to donate a new pair of socks or a pair of runners or podiatry shoes that are in very good condition and no longer being worn, please drop them in the basket provided in the foyer of the Junior School office.  We will be holding Footy Colours and Pie Day on the final day of term with all money raised from this event being donated to FightMND.  Founded in 2014, FightMND was established with the purpose of finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Motor Neurone Disease https://fightmnd.org.au/ We hope that our students and families will support these worthwhile causes.

HINODE GAKUEN VISIT

On Wednesday 14 August students from our sister school Hinode Gakuen arrived at St Paul’s and there were lots of happy smiles because the time had finally come!  As it always does, the five days that they spent with us flew by but even in such a short time it was obvious that new friendships were formed and that all students had a fantastic time.  We would like to thank the families who very generously opened up their homes to the twenty-five students and helped to give them such a unique opportunity to experience many facets of Australian home and school life.  Whilst the students enjoyed visiting a range of secondary classes, a highlight for them would be their visit to the Junior School last Friday where they joined in with many different Japanese classes.  Thank you to all of the teachers who welcomed the students into their classes.  It is only because of the wonderful support that we receive that we are able to offer these experiences for our students.  Even though the students have now returned to Japan it is hoped that the students are able to maintain their newly formed friendships and hopefully can meet again in the future.

Rebecca Crossley and Noriko Teranishi
Japanese Teachers

St Paul’s and Hinode students enjoying their last moments together before saying goodbye.

DICTIONARIES A BIG HIT IN PONILALA, EAST TIMOR!

Thanks to the kind generosity of parents and students from all campuses, we were able to present each student at Ponilala School with their own personal English-Tetun dictionary.  Our visit to the Ponilala School was one of the major highlights on our Timor trip, partly due to the joy and happiness we witnessed from students receiving their books.  Students cheered, clapped and some even high fived each other when they heard they would receive their own copy, a response one would not encounter in an Australian classroom!   Some students would not even put their dictionary down when later playing soccer and AFL, preferring to hold it with one hand as they marked the ball.   Many thanks to everyone who supported our ‘Dictionary Drive’, something as little as a $5 donation can make a big impact on the lives of students who have very little.

If you would like to help with Team Timor or donate to our ongoing fundraising effort to build new classrooms at Ponilala School, please contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Warragul Campus or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Traralgon Campus.

Students at Ponilala School with their dictionaries.

COFFEE FOR FATHER’S DAY!

With Father’s Day fast approaching, give a special man in your life a bag of rich, smooth East Timor Coffee with $3 from every bag sold through the school going towards our fundraising to build new classrooms for Ponilala Village School.  Growing and exporting coffee beans is also a sustainable and vital part of the Ermera district economy, where Ponilala is situated.  Your present will not only taste great but contribute to a worthy cause.

Bags of plunger, filter or beans can be purchased for $12.  Contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au to place an order.

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

If you are interested in getting together with other parents of the School to pray, you are most welcome to join the following two prayer groups:
First Monday of the month, 9:00 am Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School.  Next gathering Monday 2 September.
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937
Fridays Fortnightly, 9:15 am, Jenny Charles’ home
Contact: Jenny Charles 0402 249 036

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done.” Philippians 4:6

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

House Cultural Day 2019 was always going to be a bit different this year.  However, no one could have predicted what was to follow when the combined House Coordinators shared their creative vision for a ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ inspired day of arts and culture.

Top secret emails were sent to staff and student leaders as the planning and vision came together for a truly magical and slightly ‘Potterish’ House Cultural Day.

I first learned of the planned covert operation when I received the following email from the combined House Coordinators:
“You are receiving this email because we trust you to keep this ‘in the cone’, under your ‘Very Wise Wizard Hats’ and because we need your help.  I am including our School Captains and School Deputy Captains in this email as they have roles too!  PLEASE DO NOT under any circumstances share or discuss this with any other students, prefects or other staff as it will ruin the BIG reveal!

Students will not know what is involved in House Cultural Day until they attend a ‘Surprise reveal assembly’ in the gym after Mentor group on 13 August.  For the big reveal, Harry Potter theme music will be playing as everyone enters the gym and sits in their house areas.  The stage will be set as if it is the interior of a train whilst George Weasley (Mr Herbert) and Harry Potter (Ms Sweeney) become acquainted during their first journey to Hogwarts.  Staff, School Captains and Deputies will perform the attached play where the process for the day and the competition will be outlined to the students as part of the play.”

The reveal play became the process through which the students were explained the structure for the day and were allocated the plot section of the text along with the genre they needed to include within their interpretation.  We will never forget Mr Andrew O’Connor under the table as the quirky voice of the sorting hat or the outstanding charactertisation of Hagrid by Mrs Merryn Finlayson.

The afternoon saw the six individual houses perform outstanding plays that encapsulated the spirit of the day and allowed them to have some creative, intellectual fun with the respective genres.  There is something particularly inspiring about our students working across years levels, learning about what it means to work together in a team to develop a shared vision, communicating their ideas, creatively problem-solving and presenting on a stage in front of an audience.  These are all soft skills that are highly valued by contemporary employers.  It was indeed exciting to behold the additional wellbeing benefits of working in a community to develop a stronger connection, respect and care for students from Years 7 to 12. Congratulations to Gilmore House who were the eventual winners on the day and a very big thank you must be extended to Mrs Leonie Clark for organising the day along with the very talented House Coordinators.

Ms Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

GOVERNMENT BUS ROUTE OUTAGE

Please make a diary note of the following dates for travellers using the Warragul Regional College (WRC) Bus network.
Monday 9 September:  Bus 3 will not be running due to a Warragul Regional College student free day.  This affects all travellers using Bus 3 and connecting buses at Warragul Regional College.

Please ensure you have alternate transport in place for these days.

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

AUGUST
25 August  Matinee du francais, Year 12 French Students, Melbourne Convention Centre
26 August  Complete Works – ‘Romeo & Juliet’, Year 9, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 1:50 pm to 3:30 pm
27 August  Year 9 Baw Baw Big Blokes First Aid Course, Year 9 Centre
28 August  Years 7 to 12 Parent Student Teacher Interviews 2, Secondary School Gymnasium, 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm
29 August  Bible Society Master Class, New Hope Baptist Church, Blackburn North, 7:30 am to 4:50 pm
SEISA Winter Sport Intermediate/Senior, Round 5
30 August  State RoboCup Competition, Melbourne Showgrounds, 7:20 am to 6:00 pm
31 August  World Challenge Trivia Night Fundraiser, Secondary School Gymnasium, 6:00 pm

SEPTEMBER
2 September  Victorian Netball Championships, 6:30 am to 5:30 pm
Melbourne Writer’s Festival, State Library
3 to 5 September  Great Book Swap, Year 7 Centre Foyer, 1:10 pm to 1:40 pm
3 to 6 September  VET Sport and Recreation Year 12 Camp, Omeo area
5 September  SEISA Winter Sport Intermediate/Senior Finals
5 and 6 September  ‘Charlotte’s Web’ Drama Production, DT Parker Centre, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
6 September  ESP Student Seminar, Year 9 Centre, 10:00 am to 2:30 pm
7 September  ‘Charlotte’s Web’ Drama Production, DT Parker Centre, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
9 September  ICAS Writing Competition, Library Classroom, 9:10 am to 10:00 am
11 September  Unit 4 Theatre Studies Excursion – ‘Come From Away’, The Comedy Theatre Melbourne, 8:45 am to 5:00 pm
Year 9 2020 Information Evening, Year 9 Centre, 7:00 pm
12 September  SEISA Spring Carnival
13 September  Years 7 and 10 Immunisations
16 September  FareShare, Food Relief Excursion, 6:30 am to 3:15 pm
17 September  ICAS English Competition, Library Classroom, 9:10 am to 10:50 am
19 September  Year 12 English Practice Exam, VCE Centre, 12:00 noon to 3:30 pm
SEISA Junior Summer Trials, Warragul Campus, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Year 9 Supermarket Visit (Foodwise class only), Woolworths Warragul, 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm
20 September  End of Term 3, 2:30 pm FINISH

SEMESTER 2 PARENT STUDENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS (PSTI)

Warragul Secondary School (Years 7 to 12)

The second and last PSTI for Semester 2 will be held next Wednesday 28 August   (4:00 pm to 5:45 pm and  6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) in the Secondary School Gymnasium.

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School has an online booking system for the Warragul Secondary School PSTI, which enables families to make their own bookings by visiting, http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au or you can follow the links on the MyStPauls portal ­­→ Parent Resources → Parent Student Teacher Interviews.

PSTI booking times and login code:  One of the main advantages of the online system is that you will be able to make bookings anywhere that you have access to the internet and at any time of the day.  The code for the interviews is g7ybp
Session 2: Wednesday 28 August, bookings close at 9:00 am on Wednesday 28 August.

To assist families who do not have access to the internet at home your bookings can be made by calling the Secondary School office.  Your child’s teachers and class codes can easily be accessed via your child’s timetable on the MyStPauls portal.  Login codes and assistance can be obtained by contacting the IT department at school should you require extra help.

Interview times remain at five minutes per teacher.  If there is any issue you would like to discuss that will take longer than the scheduled interview times, please contact the relevant Head of Year to organise a time to meet.  Additionally, if you would like to meet with Mrs Cumming, our Careers Adviser regarding career options, we encourage you to contact her directly to make an appointment at a mutually convenient time.  These meetings require more than five minutes and hence are not possible on a PSTI evening.

Students are required to wear full school uniform when attending interviews.  We look forward to meeting with you on the night.

Mr Bruno Testa
Director of Studies

GRANDPARENTS AND SPECIAL PERSONS DAY

Last Friday, the Year 9 students celebrated Grandparents and Special Persons Day.  We welcomed ninety guests into our Year 9 Centre, some coming from interstate and even overseas, helping us to celebrate not only the lives of our elders but also the connections that the students have with their families.  The day was the culmination of the Thinking and Learning unit ‘Curating the Past’, where students explored and shared their identities and family legacies.

As part of the unit, students are asked to devise a series of questions and interview an elder to gain an understanding of what life was like for them as a teenager.  Through this the students come to acknowledge and appreciate the similarities and differences that exist between the generations.  The students film and edit the interviews and the resulting movies become an important keepsake for their families.

The second part of the task is a heritage display focusing on a special event in their family’s lives.  They research the time period and event, collate significant objects which are indicative of and represent their journeys as remnants of their shared histories.  The displays were carefully crafted and presented, and proudly presented to the guests during the celebrations.

I would like to acknowledge all the hard work that the Year 9 students and staff put into this task to prepare for the day.  I would especially like to thank the Year 9 Leaders, Mayah Cannon, Emily Hobbs, Myah Healey and Alexander Mirkovic for running the assembly.  A special thank you also to Genevieve Duck, Amelia Kelly and Chloe Hunt for their contributions to the assembly.  We were also very privileged to listen to two stunning musical items from llyan Mofakhami and Emily Morrison.  The assembly was followed by a Devonshire tea put on by the students, as the families enjoyed the displays and shared memories.

A great deal of effort went into preparing for this celebration and we hope everyone walked away feeling a sense of pride and connection to family.

Coralie Esbert
Head of Year 9

ROSHAUN WATSON: MY STORY

Roshaun Watson came to the St Paul’s Year 9 Centre in January, 2016.  When Roshaun graduates at the end of 2019, she will be one of the first in her family to achieve this level of education.  She has also completed a Certificate 3 in Financial Services and completed a traineeship with the ANZ bank.  Roshaun will leave St Paul’s at the end of the year with the qualifications she has been so driven to achieve.  We are proud of her determination, her bravery and the courage she has shown throughout the past four years.  She has lived, studied and learnt here, a long way from her home in the Western Australia Desert of the Pilbara.  Roshaun’s community is called Parnngurr, and her love for her home and country is strong.  We are privileged that she has been able to share something of her home with us through her writing and we print it here for the whole school community to enjoy.

The Blue Desert

By Roshaun Watson
(an extract)

My family and I went to the dam to cool down. It was a vibrant blue hole in the middle of the desert surrounded by red and ochre hard dirt.  The weather was ridiculously hot.  We travelled by car.  I fussed and wished the weather could change.  I did not like the heat but it was normal for the outback Pilbara, so I knew I could not fuss about that.  I loved the Australian outback desert as it was the best place to be, very peaceful and containing the various beautiful colours of nature.  As we arrived at the dam, the kids desperately wanted to jump straight into the water, rushing down whilst carrying their belongings.  Moments after, their belongings were left on the ground beside the dam.  Kids happily swam and splashed each other with joy. 

I slowly walked down the steep angle, carefully walking with my things.  I did not want to break the strap on my thongs. I just knew how hot the ground was.  As I put my foot in front of the other, my foot started to press against the straps.  My thoughts were on my thongs, yet the top of my toes felt the burning red soil.  As I arrived at the bottom, I took a moment and stood there staring at the beautiful water.  The kids and the family had arrived and were laughing, having fun splashing in the water, floating and jumping off the impossible fifteen metre high cliff.  A shadow of birds flew right above, dipping to the surface of the water to quench their thirst, some diving under the surface and popping back up a few metres away.  It was amazing what birds did.  The nice cool breeze came rushing past my face and the smell of wet mud invaded my nostrils. I could hear more birds screeching in the distance and the wind formed ripples on the surface of the water.  I was amazed at how the water sparkled with the reflection of the sun on its surface.  The contrast of the rivulets of water on the dark brown bodies conveyed a feeling of renewal.  I stood for a while and thought  I am in heaven.  I stood on the edge wanting to dive straight in.  The water was crystal-clear. It seemed so bottomless, no rocks to be aware of, just perfect. 

I closed my eyes, waiting for the wind to push me in.  From a distance, at the back of my head, I could hear wet fabric rubbing against itself.  It began to get louder, and bits of rock flicked against my leg.  I could hear a human breathing heavily and people laughing in the distance as well.  It felt as if I was bumped by a truck. The force of my cousin pushed so hard against my shoulder, and the next moment I leaned forward and fell into the deep, vibrant bottomless hole.

Later, after watching everyone enjoying their football match, I walked home and watched the sunset ‘jintu’ changing its luminous colours; daylight pastels moving deeper into dark blue and fading with purple. This was always my favourite time of day in the country, as the light was very beautiful.  I could sit and watch for hours just enjoying every bit. A lot of chattering flowed through my ears as my mum had agreed to get a photo in front of the last bit of sunset. I was very excited about the idea. Megan, the photographer who had visited us previously, placed her cameras on a rock, ready to take our shot.  I held my mother’s hands and looked towards the sunset. I did not want to turn away. Looking down, my toes dug through the red sand, as it was very cold, but perfect. I was listening to the noise in the surrounding area of birds humming in a ghostly gum tree.  The tree had drippings of red syrup and looked as if it was bleeding and the aging bark was about to drop off soon. Nature was unique, which was why our people loved the land so much.

That evening after supper, I laid on the outside bunk looking at the amazing stars glittering above like diamonds. It was almost 9 o’clock so we all gathered around the fires for warmth.  Flames lifted up like bright blazing flares right in front of us. I sat directly across from my grandfather, although I wanted to sit right next to him.  I just loved watching him speak above the fire. It was very important to listen closely.

After two years, we had nearly forgotten, but then the photos arrived in a book.  The title was ‘Conversations with the Mob’.  Everyone stood amongst each other squashing and bumping, desperately wanting to see their pictures on the pages.  My name was shouted by a friend, ‘It’s you, look!’  I had a quick peak, a glimpse; just a snippet, and then I felt a sudden rush of joy.  The photo was of my mum looking toward the sunset, holding my hand as I stood behind her.

I ran towards my mother, happy and excited to deliver the news.  There was a picture of us in the book.   There we were, in the sunset once again.  I suddenly realised what the photo was all about.  Megan had wanted to capture the memory that we had, celebrating the bond between mother and daughter.  Megan had wanted to connect to us and learn about the Aboriginal culture.  This is what I saw in the photo.  She had come with cameras hoping to spread to the outside world that our culture was more than their stereotypes – that we were open and wise, and could easily be connected to the world around us.  And it meant a lot to me.

Roshaun and her mother in Western Australia. Photograph by Megan Lewis, from ‘Conversations with the Mob’.

HINODE GAKUEN VISIT

On Wednesday 14 August students from our sister school Hinode Gakuen arrived at St Paul’s and there were lots of happy smiles because the time had finally come!  As it always does, the five days that they spent with us flew by but even in such a short time it was obvious that new friendships were formed and that all students had a fantastic time.  We would like to thank the families who very generously opened up their homes to the twenty-five students and helped to give them such a unique opportunity to experience many facets of Australian home and school life.  Whilst the students enjoyed visiting a range of secondary classes, a highlight for them would be their visit to the Junior School last Friday where they joined in with many different Japanese classes.  Thank you to all of the teachers who welcomed the students into their classes.  It is only because of the wonderful support that we receive that we are able to offer these experiences for our students.  Even though the students have now returned to Japan it is hoped that the students are able to maintain their newly formed friendships and hopefully can meet again in the future.

Rebecca Crossley and Noriko Teranishi
Japanese Teachers

St Paul’s and Hinode students enjoying their last moments together before saying goodbye.

DICTIONARIES A BIG HIT IN PONILALA, EAST TIMOR!

Thanks to the kind generosity of parents and students from all campuses, we were able to present each student at Ponilala School with their own personal English-Tetun dictionary.  Our visit to the Ponilala School was one of the major highlights on our Timor trip, partly due to the joy and happiness we witnessed from students receiving their books.  Students cheered, clapped and some even high fived each other when they heard they would receive their own copy, a response one would not encounter in an Australian classroom!   Some students would not even put their dictionary down when later playing soccer and AFL, preferring to hold it with one hand as they marked the ball.   Many thanks to everyone who supported our ‘Dictionary Drive’, something as little as a $5 donation can make a big impact on the lives of students who have very little.

If you would like to help with Team Timor or donate to our ongoing fundraising effort to build new classrooms at Ponilala School, please contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Warragul Campus or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au at the Traralgon Campus.

Students at Ponilala School with their dictionaries.

COFFEE FOR FATHER’S DAY!

With Father’s Day fast approaching, give a special man in your life a bag of rich, smooth East Timor Coffee with $3 from every bag sold through the school going towards our fundraising to build new classrooms for Ponilala Village School.  Growing and exporting coffee beans is also a sustainable and vital part of the Ermera district economy, where Ponilala is situated.  Your present will not only taste great but contribute to a worthy cause.

Bags of plunger, filter or beans can be purchased for $12.  Contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au to place an order.

CHESS TOURNAMENT

Our final Chess tournament for the year was on Wednesday 14 August at Chairo Christian School.  It was great to have a couple of new members to compete with us.  At the end of the seven games we all had a few wins and losses.  The Open Secondary team of Luke, Connor, Jarra, Kieran, Brandon and Anthony came second overall and can move through to the State Finals in September.  The Middle Years team of Amelia, Hayden, Aaron and Penny played well but unfortunately did not place.  Jarra also received a medal for biggest upset of the day as he won a match against one of the much higher ranking players.  Well done all!

Christine Gardner
Chess Facilitator

MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE DAY

On 14 August, St Paul’s competed in the Gippsland Mathematics Challenge Games Day held at Federation University Churchill.   Teams of four competed in puzzle and problem-solving activities finishing with the exciting team relay.

St Paul’s competed against schools from all over Gippsland, including Wonthaggi Secondary (winners), Drouin Secondary, St Margaret’s Berwick and Berwick Grammar.

Our Year 9 team participants were Jessica Gardner, David Mann, Seth Sutherland and Mia McCrohan who are all extremely talented Mathematicians, demonstrating skill and teamwork well beyond their years.  They finished fifteenth from twenty teams.

Our Year 8 team participants were Matt Lloyd, Shivi Maheshwari, Taliesin Lowe, Connor Pyke and Harry Thoppil who also performed extremely well finishing fourteenth.  Most importantly, everyone benefited from the experience and enjoyed the challenge.

Sharon Rippon
Teacher of Mathematics

Year 8 team:  Shivi Maheshwari, Harry Thoppil, Taliesin Lowe, Connor Pyke and Matt Lloyd.

Year 9 team: Jessica Gardner, Seth Sutherland, Mia McCrohan and David Mann.

BIBLE SOCIETY MASTERCLASS EXCURSION

Each year the Bible Society runs a free Masterclass that aims to inspire, challenge and equip students to think deeply about the Christian faith in today’s world.  Featuring high quality speakers and opportunities for Q&A, the sessions are consistently engaging and challenging for students.

St Paul’s will be taking a group of students to this year’s Masterclass on Thursday 29 August.  There are still places available for this excursion for students in Years 9 to 12 (we have permission to bring Year 12 students).  For more information and permission forms please email Rev. Lowe dnlowe@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Mr Treble gtreble@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

SPORT NEWS

SEISA Intermediate/Senior Winter Round Robin
With only one round to go in this term’s Intermediate/Senior SEISA Winter Round robin, we potentially have our students vying for five finals in their respective teams.

•  intermediate boys AFL
•  senior boys AFL
•  senior hockey boys
•  intermediate girls soccer
•  senior girls basketball

All our teams have been highly competitive and displaying great sportsmanship.  We wish them all the best next Thursday in their final round against Beaconhills, Pakenham.

On Thursday 12 September, the SEISA Spring Carnival will also be running.  Students will be competing in volleyball and boys netball.  Good luck!

Senior Boys Soccer.

Intermediate Boys AFL.

Gymnastics Victoria Interschool Competition
On Thursday 15 August, the St Paul’s Gymnastics team had a great day at Casey Stadium, competing against other schools in Melbourne and outlying areas.  Whilst the results were really positive, the behaviour, sportsmanship and support shown towards each other was outstanding.

Our results were:
Tatum Cotterell – first place in the A1 level competition
Megan Lambert – second place in the B2 level competition
Penny Matthews – fourth place in the B2 level competition
Hugh Lyons-Mills – first place in the C level competition
Megan Lambert, Penny Matthews and Ella May – second place in the B2 team level competition
Lucy Wakefield – first place in the D level senior competition
Emma Wong – equal second place in the D level senior competition
Lucy Wakefield, Emma Wong, Alex Elder-Hackford, Georgia Wilcox and Olivia Reid – first place in the D level team senior competition.

St Paul’s Gymnastics Team – combined St Paul’s Warragul and St Paul’s Traralgon students.

Megan Lambert, Penny Matthews and Olivia Reid.

Tatum Cotterrell.

LAMONT STATIONERY PACKS

In the past, St Paul’s booklist provider Lamont has packaged all stationery pack orders that were purchased through the Lamont booklist in a single-use plastic bag.  As you may be aware, Victoria has recently made changes to the laws regarding single-use plastic shopping bags.  As a result, Lamont was required to change the packaging that it used for its stationery pack orders so that single-use plastic shopping bags are no longer used.

All of the smaller stationery packs for all year levels will now be packaged in a multi-purpose pouch.  These pouches are a stationery item that have a booklist price of $3 and can be used as a pencil case or for storage of other items (see image below).

In order to minimise the pricing impact of this change, Lamont will be including these at a discounted price.  The multi-purpose pouch will be included as part of the stationery pack at a cost of $1.35.

For any larger stationery packs, these will continue to be packaged in boxes as has been the case in the past.

James Avram
Director of Learning and Teaching
Warragul Secondary School

GREAT BOOK SWAP

Great Book Swaps take place right across Australia.  They promote reading and literacy in schools and local communities but also raise funds to support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s work to improve literacy in remote indigenous communities.

Why is your support needed?
Thirty-five per cent of indigenous children in remote communities can read at Year 5 while ninety-five per cent of non-indigenous kids in our major cities can read at Year 5.

The ILF programs help to:
•  Supply interesting and culturally appropriate new books to remote communities
•  Publish books written by and for indigenous people including books in up to eighteen different Aboriginal languages
•  Run ‘Book-Buzz’ sessions where parents and carers share stories in books with the very young to help develop pre-literacy skills.

How can you help?
Students are invited to come along to the Year 7 foyer at lunchtime on 3, 4 and 5 September  to enjoy some book swapping.  Bring a book to swap and a $2 coin to donate.  Multiple swaps and donations are welcome.  Books should be good condition and suited to Years 7 to 9.

If you have a couple of great books to donate for the swap we have a collection box in the Year 7 foyer OR you can drop them in to the Library.

Learn more about the activities of the ILF at https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/

See how our allocated indigenous language house, Bigibigi, is tracking in its collective fundraising at https://www.greatbookswap.org.au/

Jo Menzies
Head of Libraries

MATHS SUPPORT SESSIONS

A Maths support session will be offered in Room 3 (Year 9 Centre) each Tuesday at the end of the school day.  This session will operate from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm and students are able to attend for all or part of each session as required.

Participants may use this session to get assistance with and complete homework tasks, seek an additional lesson on a particular Maths topic or simply work with other students who share a similar love of Mathematics with extension activities provided as required.  This session is primarily aimed at students from Years 10 to 12 although all Secondary School students are welcome to attend.  These sessions are additional to those already provided by teachers from the Maths Faculty which occur regularly at nominated lunchtimes.

No formal registration is required.  Students simply attend whenever they feel the need for some additional support or extension.

For further inquiries please contact Mr Rowley via email jrowley@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

If you are interested in getting together with other parents of the School to pray, you are most welcome to join the following two prayer groups:
First Monday of the month, 9:00 am Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School.  Next gathering Monday 2 September.
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937
Fridays Fortnightly, 9:15 am, Jenny Charles’ home
Contact: Jenny Charles 0402 249 036

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done.” Philippians 4:6

WALKING ON THE MOON

Last weekend I had the profound experience of attending a screening of the documentary ‘Apollo 11’ at our local church.  Utilising only archival film and voiceover to track the Apollo 11 mission from launch to lunar landing, the film moves at a pace which may challenge the modern appetite for non-stop action and stimulation but is still remarkably captivating.  One of the things that most struck me was the mood of hope and optimism that pervaded that moment in history.  The words of president Richard Nixon during a phone call to the astronauts captures the spirit of the moment, “As you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to Earth”.

This vision of the future stands in stark contrast to the picture we are so often presented with today.  So much of our daily news is bleak and depressing and a large proportion of popular literature and film today features post-apocalyptic, dystopian futures where corruption reigns and survival of the fittest is the rule.  The comparison with the optimism of the moon landing is unavoidable and potentially depressing.  Writer and critic, Luke Goodsell writes, “Armstrong’s “one giant leap” might have been the more famous landing quote, but it’s Aldrin’s subsequent description of the Moon — as “magnificent desolation” — that more accurately heralded his home planet’s future”.  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-18/apollo-11-review-documentary-captures-moon-landing-mission/11315242?sf215935104=1

While I do not share Mr Goodsell’s rather bleak view of the future, the film did make me wonder what momentous event or grand achievement might unite people in our children’s lifetime?  There are or course plenty of great things happening around the world but so much of what we and our children see and hear is destructive and divisive.  Even when we are encouraged to rally around a cause, it is so often driven (or hijacked) by extremist or fundamentalist perspectives on both sides, that polarise people rather than draw them together.  Christians have been as guilty of this as any other group and the Christian message is unlikely to be seen as one of hope when encountered through this lens. The Bible, while often painted as judgmental, actually paints a vision for the future which offers something different. Instead of a post-apocalyptic nightmare, the Bible’s vision for the future is one which draws all people together.  When Jesus first speaks publically of his purpose and vision he quotes these words from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, “The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me
to tell the good news to the poor.  The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers.” (Luke 4:18).

In a recent Year 10 class, students were asked to brainstorm a list of what they thought were the biggest problems in the world today.  It took very little time for them to do this.  Next, I asked them to list any careers or vocations that might have an opportunity to address one or more of these issues.  They very quickly realised that people in almost any profession have an opportunity to work towards good in the world.  The positive energy in the room increased noticeably as a vision for diversity united by a common cause was hinted at.  In the book of Genesis we read a poetic description of God’s invitation for humankind to join with God in the cultivating and flourishing of the earth.  In the words of Jesus we see God’s intention for healing and restoration in the world.  My prayer is that our young people accept the invitation to be a part of God’s restorative work in the world and that this perhaps might yet be the goal that unites people in ways the moon landing merely hinted at.

We may continue to enjoy the cinematic entertainment of dystopian visions of the future on our screens but our lives and the lives of our young people can be guided by a different and more hopeful vision for the future.

“God’s home is now with his people.  He will live with them, and they will be his own.  Yes, God will make his home among his people.  He will wipe all tears from their eyes and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain.  These things of the past are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain