In this issue

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

Ecumenical Schools Australia (ESA)
On Monday 21 August, fourteen of our Year 11 students attended the Ecumenical Schools Australia Year 11 Leadership Day at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre. Students enjoyed a leadership seminar delivered by Project Rockit and a particular highlight of the day was a presentation by St Paul’s Alumnus, adventurer and explorer, Tim Cope (Class of 1996). Attending the excursion were Charlotte Brown and Georgia Chapman who were chosen to introduce Tim. Both of their mothers attended St Paul’s and were in Tim’s year level and it was special that they were able to introduce him to the students and staff of the attending schools. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the day with Max O’Connor declaring that his favourite part of the day was, “Having Tim Cope share some of his amazing adventures over his life. I learnt from Tim that it is important to live life in the moment and to embrace every experience that may come your way.” Amelie McWilliam stated, “What I learnt was my leadership style and the values I hold closest to me thanks to one of the Project Rockit activities, and it was really interesting to see how other peoples differed or were similar to my own.” Thank you to Mrs Thearle and Mr Shearing for accompanying our students on the day.

Last day of term
The last day of Term 3 is Friday 15 September and school will end at 2:10 pm for all students. We will finish the term with a Footy Colours Day and students are warmly encouraged to wear casual clothes including the colours of their favourite team. Please ensure your child/children are wearing closed-toe shoes and note that thongs or similar footwear are not allowed for safety reasons. We will be asking students for a gold coin donation on the day which will continue our Prefects amazing efforts in raising money for Shave For A Cure this term.

First day of Term 4 – Summer Uniform
A reminder to our families to find the summer uniforms and try them on during the holidays. Many students have grown throughout the year and the uniforms that once fitted quite comfortably may now need some adjusting or replacing during the break. We look forward to seeing all of our students in summer uniform at the commencement of Term 4 on Monday 2 October.

R U OK? Day Thursday 14 September
A conversation can change a life
Next Thursday 14 September is “R U OK? Day”. Next week we will publish a series of posts on MyStPauls which will encourage our students to check in with their friends and family, have meaningful conversations and seek the help of a trusted adult should they be concerned about someone they know.
R U OK? Inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life. You do not need to be an expert to reach out – just a good friend and listener. Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:
1. Ask R U OK?
2. Listen
3. Encourage Action
4. Check in

Of course, we additionally wish for our students to seek the help and support of a trusted adult to ensure that the person or young person is accessing the professional assistance needed.

School Holiday and Support Services
We imagine that all of our students are looking forward to the upcoming two-week break. Whilst the school counselling team does not provide support over the school holidays or long weekends, should you find that your child needs help, your child is always able to speak to someone at Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Headspace (1800 650 890), Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636 ). If you are after advice as a parent, you can also utilise these services or call Parentline on 13 22 89. There are also a number of resources on our MyStPauls Wellbeing page: https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/11780

What is Indigenous literacy and why does ILF work with remote Communities?
“Our Communities are vibrant, strong, and highly intelligent. We have this literacy around culture, Land and Community, but how Communities engage with a highly Western concept of literacy is different. I want to engage Communities in those conversations around literacy so they can redefine that space themselves. My vision for the ILF is for the organisation to support remote Communities to engage in literacy in the way they wish.” – Ben Bowen, ILF Chief Executive Officer.

Literacy provides a fundamental step in building context, comprehension and understanding, whether it is written, visual or auditory. For kids who miss that foundational step in their literacy journey, it has a lifelong impact.

In remote communities across Australia there is often no infrastructure such as libraries or bookstores. Access to reading material is extremely limited and this impacts the achievements of Indigenous children.

ILF’s three programs, Book Supply, Book Buzz and Community Publishing Projects, focus on ensuring access to quality resources, including books in First Languages, publishing community stories and supporting communities and families to lead the entire process to ensure leadership, ownership, and authenticity is held with Community Elders and residents.

How can you help? Speak with your librarian at your subschool and/or see the website below to see how you can become involved and make a difference in remote communities.

https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/ild

This month on SchoolTV – Respectful Relationships
Fostering a nurturing environment of respectful relationships within your family holds the key to not only harmonious living but also improved academic outcomes for your children. As parents and caregivers, embracing the art of teaching children about respect at a young age sets the stage for a lifetime of healthy interactions and empathetic understanding. It will help cultivate a positive environment where communication flourishes, conflicts are resolved constructively and bonds are fortified.

Teaching children to respect themselves and others will open up avenues for both personal growth and academic achievement. Fostering an environment where respect is not just a word, but a practised behaviour, will empower young people with essential life skills. Effective communication, active listening, and the art of compromise, will provide your child with a solid foundation that will transcend family interactions and help them collaborate effectively with peers, teachers and the broader community.

Equipping children with an understanding of healthy versus unhealthy relationships is an important aspect of their development. It will guide them to make informed choices, foster positive connections and set boundaries that contribute to their emotional wellbeing. Understanding the nuances between healthy and unhealthy relationships provides children with the essential tools to navigate their social world, build self-esteem and cultivate meaningful relationships.

In this edition of SchoolTV, learn how to empower young people in healthy interactions to embrace differences and forge connections that honour their self-worth. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition and we always welcome your feedback.

If you have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month’s edition https://stpaulsags.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/respectful-relationshipsEvery Child in Every Community Needs a Fair Go
National Child Protection Week is all about the ways that we can all work together to build communities that support children and families.

Children are safest when they are listened to, respected and believed.

All adults can play a part by ‘tuning in’ to children in everyday situations about small worries; then they are much more likely to feel comfortable telling us if something big is wrong.

Talking with children about safety:
• Support children to identify trusted adults (both within the family and outside) they can talk to, if they are worried, upset or do not feel safe. Make sure these adults know they are on your child’s list.
• Remind children that they can talk to you or a trusted adult about anything, no matter how big or small their worry might be.
• Talk to children about how they know when they feel safe or unsafe. Help them to listen to their early warning signs (how their body feels), and to trust their feelings and instincts.
• Use everyday activities as opportunities for conversations (for example, preparing meals and snacks, going for walks, playing, shopping). If children are used to having lots of communication, it can make it easier to talk when big or tricky issues come up.
• Be open to talking about all kinds of feelings, including anger, joy, frustration, fear and anxiety. This helps children to develop a ‘feelings vocabulary’.
• National Child Protection Week is a great time to start conversations with children and families about feeling safe.

Free Parent Seminar – All Parents Welcome
Navigating a s*xed-up world: How can we help our children resist harmful messages from media and pop culture and aspire to respectful relationships?
Children and young people are being bombarded with inappropriate content from media and popular culture. Drawing from current global literature and the experiences of young people, highly-regarded guest presenters Melinda Tankard Reist and Daniel Principe will explore how these images and messages contribute to a distorted view of bodies, relationships and sexuality. Melinda and Daniel will suggest strategies to address this toxic culture and provide practice tips on raising happy, healthy and resilient young people who value their dignity and self-worth and aspire to relationships based on respect and authentic connection. Register your attendance now here.

Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 3.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Lai (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

WHAT’S ON

SEPTEMBER
11 September  Year 9 Eye in the Sky – Emerging Technologies Excursion, RMIT, 7:46 am to 3:49 pm
12 September  Scienceworks Museum – Year 8 Excursion, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
13 September  Studio Concert, Chris Staben, Alisha Redmond and Steven Forster, DT Parker Centre, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
14 September  R U OK? Day
SEISA Spring Carnival
15 September  Footy Colours Day
Year 12 English Practice Exam, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
End of Term 3, 2:10 pm finish
17 September  Academy of Music Sunday Workshop, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
26 September  Year 12 Japanese Mock Oral Practice, VCE8 and VCE9, 9:30 am to 1:00 pm
27 September  Year 12 Practice Exams, VCE Centre, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm
28 September  Year 12 Practice Exams, VCE Centre, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm

OCTOBER
2 October  Term 4 Commences
4 October  Year 12 French Orals
Year 12 Physical Education Exam Revision Session, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
4 to 6 October  Year 11 VET Sport and Recreation Surfing Camp
5 October  SEISA Summer Junior Trials, Warragul Secondary School, 11:30 am to 4:00 pm
8 October  Academy of Music Sunday Workshop, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
9 to 11 October  Year 8 Camp
11 October  Complete Works – Romeo and Juliet, Year 9 English Incursion, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 1:30 pm to 3:10 pm
12 October  SEISA Summer Junior Round 1
Academy of Music Kapelle Konzert Rehearsal, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 1:40 pm to 3:10 pm
18 October  Year 12 Celebration Day
Year 12 Final Assembly, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 12:00 pm
19 October  Year 12 Japanese Orals
SEISA Summer Junior Round 2
24 October to 15 November  VCAA Unit 4 Exams commence
26 October  SEISA Summer Junior Round 3
Academy of Music Kapelle Konzert Rehearsal, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 1:40 pm to 3:10 pm
27 October  Academy of Music Kapelle Konzert Rehearsal, selected students, Gippsland Performing Arts Centre, 9:00 am
Academy of Music Kapelle Konzert, Gippsland Performing Arts Centre, 7:00 pm

WARRAGUL SECONDARY SCHOOL RECEPTION HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS

Monday 18 to Friday 22 September, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 25 to Thursday 28 September, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

DOBSONS HOLIDAY TRADING HOURS

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.

HOUSE PERFORMING ARTS COMPETITION

The 2023 House Performing Arts Competition concluded with an entertaining series of performances during Pastoral Block on Thursday 7 September, with Gilmore House judged as the winners!
This year’s version of the competition involved house members writing a script prior to the two rehearsals: a double period on Wednesday 6 September and a single period to start the day on Thursday. In previous years, a full day was dedicated to the competition, with scripts written on the day.

The parameters of the competition remained the same as previous years – houses needed to maximise student involvement and create an engaging eight to ten minute performance which would also include some form of music and movement.

The 2023 stimulus for each house was:
a) A line of dialogue and;
b) A well-named prop
Thank you to our judges: Ms Butterworth, Ms Sinclair and Mr Sim.

Well done to all students who performed and also to those who cheered on their teammates from the audience.

Gordon Oldham
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Warragul Campus

TEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID COURSE

The Year 8 students completed their four-part Teen Mental Health First Aid course last week.

Ms Fiona Dyason, who led the sessions as our in-house TMHFA instructor, collated the following feedback from the students (table below). It is comforting to know that students are well-versed in the area of wellbeing and mental health but also important to note that they regard it as a valuable course.
Year 10 parents will receive correspondence before the end of term regarding the Year 10 Teen Mental Health First Aid course which will be delivered at the beginning of Term 4.

Gordon Oldham
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Warragul Campus

WARRAGUL SECONDARY SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSALS

*Soul Band and Jazz Combo are audition/invitation ensembles only. Please contact Mr Chris Staben for further information regarding these ensembles: crstaben@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

New members and students having lessons outside of school are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason and/or the listed ensemble director for further information: hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-curricular

BOOK SALE

Warragul Secondary School Library will be holding a second-hand book sale to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. The sale will be in the Library classroom during recess and lunch on Tuesday 12 September.

Prices start at $1 a book with special prices for bundles. Students, be quick and support this worthy cause!

Warragul Secondary School
Library Staff

VCE PREPARATION

Year 12 students are completing the last pieces of internal assessment and their attention will move towards the external examinations.

We are pleased to be able to provide students with a range of support measures and to also act as a hub for the wider community when it comes to the preparation of students for VCE exams.

In the past fortnight, St Paul’s has hosted:
• Rob Vermay, former staff member and currently the Assistant Chief Assessor for General Mathematics, who spoke to Year 12 General Mathematics students regarding examination preparation.
• James Pinnuck, from Ticking Minds, who spoke to Year 11 and Year 12 students and also spoke to staff regarding study skills.
We are also pleased to note that we will have several staff working as VCAA Assessors (Year 12 exams) again this year.

During the school holidays, St Paul’s will play host to a series of revision lectures open to the community and organised by local company, Stem Zone, which is run by two former St Paul’s staff members. The lectures will run for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Maths Methods and General Mathematics.

Early in Term 4, we will host a revision lecture for Physical Education, an event that is open to other students in the community and has been taking place for a number of years.

The extensive involvement of our staff in VCE networks and hosting revision lectures is a key aim for us at St Paul’s and will act as a valuable support as our Traralgon campus moves towards its first Year 12 students in the near future.­­

Gordon Oldham
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Warragul Campus

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 2 October, 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES

Our focus on Metacognitive Strategies in 2023 continues as we make an effort to make students aware of their sub-conscious thought processes. By thinking about the way we think, we can maximise the strategies students use to learn, to study or to organise themselves and complete tasks.

It was reaffirming to hear from James Pinnuck (Ticking Minds) when he spoke to Years 11 and 12 students – and then staff – about the best ways to approach their study. He repeated the need to understand the delineation between homework (a piece of work or task to be completed), study (looking ahead, learning more, pre-loading before a new topic) and revision (looking back over materials, revisiting concepts, utilising feedback provided previously).

He also made a couple of other key points:
•  “Study isn’t about doing time such as a two hour block, but more so about achieving goals. Three prompts that could target student thinking are:
o  I need to practice
o  I need to improve my understanding of
o  I need to remember
– Homework can be ‘to study’ or ‘to revise’
Our current Metacognitive Strategies are:
• Monotasking
We all know that at some point in recent decades, the ability to multi-task was lauded as a skill and people who could not focus on more than one thing were ridiculed and condemned … or so it seemed. However, it is clear to us all that the new need is for people – and students, in particular, at this formative stage of their lives – to focus on one task at a time and to complete it properly.  The link to the note above on study skills is obvious – a phone next to a student who is completing schoolwork is inevitably a distraction. The impact of a distraction is significant on your cognitive load and the ‘resumption lag’ as you attempt to refocus is also a burden. Our current aim is to encourage students to focus on one task at a time and we will also try to model this same strategy!
• Tone setting
We all know that we can set the tone in a conversation, meeting, family interaction and in the classroom. Our focus with this strategy is not only to consider the way we as teachers set the tone at the beginning of the lesson but to also have students consider the way that they begin a class, a task or a study/homework session.

Gordon Oldham
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Warragul Campus

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Join the fun! Register here.

PETER PAN JR

From Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 October, Traralgon Secondary School will perform ‘Peter Pan JR’ at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) – an exciting first for Traralgon Campus productions!
Based on J.M. Barrie’s classic tale and featuring an unforgettable score by Morris “Moose” Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favourites of all time. This high-flying Tony Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and delighted audiences for sixty years and is now adapted for young performers.

Tickets are now available via Peter Pan JR | Latrobe City Council.

Please come along to support our wonderfully talented students and enjoy an outing to the theatre!

Susan Guy
Performing Arts Department – Traralgon Campus

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

How wonderful it is to see everyone with a little spring in their step as the weather begins to improve with the winter months behind us now. With only one week to go until the end of Term 3, let’s maintain the energy and excitement knowing that after an extremely busy term for everyone, there is a break not too far away.

Parent/Teacher Interviews
It was lovely to see so many families on-site last Wednesday and Thursday for Parent/Teacher interviews. Thank you for taking the time to meet with your child’s teacher/s to discuss their progress.

Father’s Day Stall
My sincere thanks to the parents who assisted with the Father’s Day stall last Friday. A huge thanks to Sam, Luisa and Andy for organising all of the gifts and the parents who assisted on the day.
State Winter Round Robin – Soccer
Congratulations to our Soccer A team who competed at state level recently at the Darebin International Sports Centre in Thornbury. The team came up against some high-level competition. Thy competed extremely well and displayed wonderful team spirit. My thanks to Mr Boraston and all the families who travelled to support the team.

RoboCup
Well done to our RoboCup teams who competed at the Junior Victorian State Event last Saturday at Genazzano College in Kew. There were lots of ‘learnings’ and the students enjoyed the experience of competing at this level. My thanks to Mr Beamish and the parents who supported the teams on the day.

Book Week in School Live Australia
Last Friday our Prep to Year 4 students enjoyed a performance from Live School Australia ‘Way Too Cool’. Our thanks to Mr Rock for organising this incursion.

Staff  versus Year 6 Student Debate
There were some hotly contested debates held on Wednesday between the Year 6 students and staff (Ms Butterworth, Mr Oldham and Mr Shearing, from the Secondary School, and Kooloos Sensei, Mrs Smethurst and myself from Junior School).

Topics included:
• Teachers should wear a uniform.
• Students should be paid to go to school.
• All children should have a job.
• People should be rewarded for recycling.
• Pets should be allowed at school.
• Victoria should have kept the Commonwealth Games.

Grandparents/Special Friends Day
We are holding our Grandparents/Special Friends Day on campus next Monday 11 September. Please allow plenty of time as finding a carpark can be difficult.

Prep to Year 2
9:00 am to 9:15 am: Guests arrive (report to Junior School Gymnasium)
9:15 am to 10:00 am: Prep to Year 2 Concert/Chapel (Junior School Gymnasium)
10:00 am to 11:00 am: Visit classrooms and Kitchen Garden
11:00 am to 11:30 am: Recess (morning tea for guests only in Junior School Gymnasium)
11:30 am: Guests depart or remain in the gymnasium for the Years 3 to 6 session

Years 3 to 6
10:45 am to 11:00 am: Guests arrive (report to Junior School Gymnasium)
11:00 am to 11:30 am: Recess (morning tea for guests only in Junior School Gymnasium)
11:30 am to 12:15 pm: Years 3 to 6 Concert/Chapel (Junior School Gymnasium)
12:15 pm to 1:30 pm: Visit classrooms and Kitchen Garden
1:30 pm: Guests depart

Years 5 and 6 2023 Canberra Tour Information Session
A reminder to all families who have a child attending this year’s Years 5 and 6 Canberra Tour that we will be holding an information session next Tuesday evening 12 September commencing at 7:00 pm in the Warragul Junior School Gymnasium.

FOSP Pie Drive
A reminder that pies are being delivered to the school on Wednesday 13 September. Please provide your child with a bag to ensure the safe arrival of your order. If you are able to help with the distribution of the orders on the day, please contact Sam at the office.

SRC Footy Colours and Special Lunch Day
We will hold our annual Footy Colours Day next Friday and students may wear their favourite team’s colours (does not have to be AFL) to school. The SRC will be asking students to bring a gold coin donation to be donated to their ‘charity of choice’ this term; students who would prefer to not dress up should wear their normal school uniform to school.

Students can order a pie and juice for $6 from the canteen via MunchMonitor (orders will be open on Monday and close on Wednesday). Normal lunch orders for Friday can still be purchased.

Drop-off and Pick-up
Just another reminder that everyone should use the pathways and cross the road at the zebra crossings when entering or leaving the ELC or Junior School to ensure we all stay safe. Could I also please ask that parents do not double park in Maple Way/Cedar Place (particularly at the end of the court near the entry to the school) so our neighbours have easy access to their driveways. There has also been increased traffic along Charles Street lately near the Warragul North Tennis Club and I ask families to be extra vigilant driving around our neighbouring streets as our students arrive and depart our school grounds.

I hope that all families enjoy a well-deserved break when it arrives at the end of next week (a reminder next Friday 15 September we finish at 2:20 pm).

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 3.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Lai (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

WHAT’S ON

SEPTEMBER
8 September  R U OK? Day
10 September Production Working Bee
11 September  Grandparents Day
12 September  Canberra Tour Information Session
14 September  Year 3 Excursion
15 September  Footy Colours Day – Pie Lunch Day
End of Term 3, 2:20 pm finish

WARRAGUL JUNIOR SCHOOL RECEPTION HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS

Monday 18, Tuesday 19 and Thursday 28 September, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

DOBSONS TRADING HOURS

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.

NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK – EVERY CHILD IN EVERY COMMUNITY NEEDS A FAIR GO

National Child Protection Week is all about the ways that we can all work together to build communities that support children and families.

Children are safest when they are listened to, respected and believed.

All adults can play a part by ‘tuning in’ to children in everyday situations about small worries; then they are much more likely to feel comfortable telling us if something big is wrong.

Talking with children about safety:
• Support children to identify trusted adults (both within the family and outside) they can talk to, if they are worried, upset or do not feel safe. Make sure these adults know they are on your child’s list.
• Remind children that they can talk to you or a trusted adult about anything, no matter how big or small their worry might be.
• Talk to children about how they know when they feel safe or unsafe. Help them to listen to their early warning signs (how their body feels), and to trust their feelings and instincts.
• Use everyday activities as opportunities for conversations (for example, preparing meals and snacks, going for walks, playing, shopping). If children are used to having lots of communication, it can make it easier to talk when big or tricky issues come up.
• Be open to talking about all kinds of feelings, including anger, joy, frustration, fear and anxiety. This helps children to develop a ‘feelings vocabulary’.
• National Child Protection Week is a great time to start conversations with children and families about feeling safe.

FREE PARENT SEMINAR – ALL PARENTS WELCOME

Navigating a s*xed-up world: How can we help our children resist harmful messages from media and pop culture and aspire to respectful relationships?
Children and young people are being bombarded with inappropriate content from media and popular culture. Drawing from current global literature and the experiences of young people, highly-regarded guest presenters Melinda Tankard Reist and Daniel Principe will explore how these images and messages contribute to a distorted view of bodies, relationships and sexuality. Melinda and Daniel will suggest strategies to address this toxic culture and provide practice tips on raising happy, healthy and resilient young people who value their dignity and self-worth and aspire to relationships based on respect and authentic connection. Register your attendance now 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 2 October, 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School
Contact:  Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com

WARRAGUL JUNIOR SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members and students having lessons outside of school are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason and/or the listed ensemble director for further information: hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-curricular

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Join the fun! Register here.

PETER PAN JR

From Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 October, Traralgon Secondary School will perform ‘Peter Pan JR’ at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) – an exciting first for Traralgon Campus productions!
Based on J.M. Barrie’s classic tale and featuring an unforgettable score by Morris “Moose” Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favourites of all time. This high-flying Tony Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and delighted audiences for sixty years and is now adapted for young performers.

Tickets are now available via Peter Pan JR | Latrobe City Council.

Please come along to support our wonderfully talented students and enjoy an outing to the theatre!

Susan Guy
Performing Arts Department – Traralgon Campus

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

Year 7 Friendship Morning 2024
As the morning sun gently rose and illuminated the courtyard, an excited chatter and buzz of energetic students could be heard at the front of our Secondary School. Children from Yinnar, Willow Grove, Boolarra, Churchill, Hazelwood, Traralgon, Tyers, Rosedale and everywhere in between came together on this momentous and historic occasion to make new friends and new connections in one of the very first steps towards a transition to the Secondary School. Mr Andrew McGrath was well supported by our outstanding Peer Support Leaders who eased nerves and welcomed all students, current and new, to our rapidly growing Secondary School community for the morning. Mr Glen Treble, our School Chaplain, arranged some hilarious games facilitated by the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders to break the ice and help students start conversations with each other. Historic photos of Year 7 groups were taken, and students moved through a variety of exciting activities from Science, Performing Arts, Visual Art and Sport. It was a busy morning designed for communication, collaboration and most importantly the initial stages of connection to each other as well as to our family in the Secondary School. Mr Herbert attended the official introductions and was particularly impressed with the calibre of the questions asked by the incoming 2024 Year 7 cohort. We look forward to working with all of our 2024 Year 7 families in the coming weeks and months. It certainly will not be too long before all students are back at the Secondary School for their three-day orientation (Wednesday 29 November to Friday 1 December) at the end of the year. I sincerely thank the Enrolments team, Mr Andrew McGrath (Head of Years 7 and 8), the Traralgon Junior School staff, Mr Glen Treble, our Secondary Teaching and Administration staff, PJ our very lovable therapy dog, our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders as well as our current Year 7 students who kindly acted as guides and buddies to each of the four groups throughout the morning.

The BIG SING Gippsland Children’s Choir
On Monday evening we warmly welcomed over seventy Traralgon primary school children and their families to our school for ‘The Big Sing’. The Gippsland Children’s Choir performed a number of wonderfully entertaining numbers from True Colours to Matilda and Mozart. Our ears were treated to the enthusiastic voices of a very large children’s community choir. We were reminded throughout the evening that there are many benefits to singing in a choir; connection to community and connection to others with similar interests, as well as the many benefits of working together as a united team. There were plenty of warm hearts on a slightly wet evening, as students came together united in a passion for singing with one voice. A particular highlight was the singing of an exceptionally moving Acknowledgement of Country. Congratulations to all involved, including the very talented Choir Masters Rebekah Warner (current Year 7 parent) and Caroline Crawford (future 2024 Year 7 parent), it was certainly an evening to remember. A very big thank you is also extended to the Year 7 and Year 8 student volunteers who kindly remained at school to assist with the greeting of families, supported the audio and sound requirements backstage and managed the bump out. Much gratitude is also extended to our dedicated FOSP (Friends of St Paul’s) parents for the lovely supper, as well as our Traralgon Secondary School staff, Office Manager Ms Kerryn Doble, Chaplain Mr Glen Treble, Director of Arts Mr Ben Sim, Mrs Andie Browne and our Principal Mr Cameron Herbert all of whom volunteered to attend and lend their kind support to this new community initiative. There are already plans for ‘The Big Sing’ to become an even bigger combined St Paul’s and community choir event in 2024 hosted once again at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School – watch this space!

Year 9 City Camp
On Tuesday night this week I had the privilege of joining our Year 9 City Camp students for dinner at ‘Lambs on Lygon Steet’. Hearty meals were demolished rather quickly as students enjoyed a chicken, lamb or vegetarian Greek Souvlaki for dinner. I noted that all Year 9 students were kind, welcoming and very respectful of each other, their teachers and the public throughout my visit. We have also received a lovely email from the Collingwood Football Club who sought us out and commented on the respectful and mature way in which our students cheered for players as they watched a training session. I could not be prouder of this cohort and have no doubt that they will return to school next week with fabulous stories to share.

Inspiring Young Latrobe Women Dinner
On Wednesday evening this week Year 10 students, Grace Marshall and Rheid Haley attended the Inspiring Young Women – Latrobe Dinner (Baw Baw Latrobe Lead Learning and Empowerment Network) at the Morwell RSL. The keynote speakers were Kate Jarvis, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Latrobe Heath Services, Annie Lietzau, Community Operations Co-ordinator at Collingwood Football Club, Phillippine Le Jalle, Project Engineer at Built Pty Ltd and Laura Macpherson, Chief Executive Officer at TAFE Gippsland. Key themes and messages from the evening were to “explore the world because you really do not know when you might bump into that one influential person who lifts your career with an opportunity, to be yourself and be authentic, to love what you do every day, to be open-minded to new opportunities, to embrace change, to go all in, to always treat everyone with respect, to be a lifelong learner and leave a legacy by making a difference.”
There is no doubt that Grace and Rheid immensely enjoyed the opportunity to network with other inspirational women at the dinner. They both took away some key and influential contacts for their futures. Our sincerest thanks are extended to the Baw Baw Latrobe LLEN for their support of this venture and for including us in what can only be described as a powerful and incredibly inspirational evening.

Last Day of Term and Digital Health Check Reminder
Our last day of Term 3 will be on Friday 15 September and school will end at 2:10 pm for all students other than our bus travellers. This is our Footy Colours Day and students are warmly encouraged to wear the colours of their favourite team to raise much-needed funds for the Fight Cancer Foundation.
Bus travellers will be boarding buses a little earlier at 2:00 pm. The September holidays is a fabulous moment to conduct a health check on your child’s devices. You can never to too careful or monitor their devices enough. Please do not hesitate to access the ySafe Safety Hub via our school page, there are a wealth of resources available to assist with the management of student devices https://stpaulsags.onlinesafetyhub.com.au/.

School Holiday and Support Services
We imagine that all of our students are looking forward to the upcoming two-week break. Whilst the school counselling team does not provide support over the school holidays or long weekends, should you find that your child needs help, your child is always able to speak to someone at Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Headspace (1800 650 890), Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636 ). If you are after advice as a parent, you can also utilise these services or call Parentline on 13 22 89. There are also a number of resources on our MyStPauls Wellbeing page: https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/11780

First day of Term 4 – Summer Uniform
A reminder to our families to find the summer uniforms and try them on during the holidays. Many students have grown throughout the year and the uniforms that once fitted quite comfortably may now need some adjusting or replacing during the break. We look forward to seeing all of our students in summer uniform at the commencement of Term 4 on Monday 2 October.

Book Week 2023
Book Week was quite the celebration for our secondary students as many of our children elected to participate and embrace the moment to dress up as a book character. We understand that many clever Year 7 students may have raided costume boxes at home from their primary years and we were incredibly impressed with their commitment as well as the talent of our community.
My favourite groups were the team of students dressed as characters from Winnie the Pooh in Year 8, the team of children who dressed as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as well as a delegation of sophisticated solicitors in Year 9, after all, a legal book is technically a text! During Book Week the Traralgon Secondary School students with the support of our Head of Libraries, Ms Jannet Taylor, held a second-hand book sale to raise much-needed finds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. You can learn about the difference this important foundation is making to remote communities below.

What is Indigenous literacy and why does ILF work with remote Communities?
“Our Communities are vibrant, strong, and highly intelligent. We have this literacy around culture, Land and Community, but how Communities engage with a highly Western concept of literacy is different. I want to engage Communities in those conversations around literacy so they can redefine that space themselves. My vision for the ILF is for the organisation to support remote Communities to engage in literacy in the way they wish.” – Ben Bowen, ILF Chief Executive Officer.

Literacy provides a fundamental step of building context, comprehension and understanding, whether it is written, visual or auditory. For kids who miss that foundational step in their literacy journey, it has a lifelong impact.

In remote communities across Australia there is often no infrastructure such as libraries or bookstores. Access to reading material is extremely limited and this impacts the achievements of Indigenous children.

ILF’s three programs, Book Supply, Book Buzz and Community Publishing Projects, focus on ensuring access to quality resources, including books in First Languages, publishing community stories and supporting communities and families to lead the entire process to ensure leadership, ownership, and authenticity is held with Community Elders and residents.

How can you help? Speak with your librarian at your subschool and/or see the website below to see how you can become involved and make a difference in remote communities.

https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/ild

R U OK? Day Thursday 14 September
A conversation can change a life
Next Thursday 14 September is “R U OK? Day”. Next week we will publish a series of posts on MyStPauls which will encourage our students to check in with their friends and family, have meaningful conversations and seek the help of a trusted adult should they be concerned about someone they know.
R U OK? Inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life. You do not need to be an expert to reach out – just a good friend and listener. Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:
1. Ask R U OK?
2. Listen
3. Encourage Action
4. Check in

Of course, we additionally wish for our students to seek the help and support of a trusted adult to ensure that the person or young person is accessing the professional assistance needed.

Every Child in Every Community Needs a Fair Go
National Child Protection Week is all about the ways that we can all work together to build communities that support children and families.

Children are safest when they are listened to, respected and believed.

All adults can play a part by ‘tuning in’ to children in everyday situations about small worries; then they are much more likely to feel comfortable telling us if something big is wrong.

Talking with children about safety:
• Support children to identify trusted adults (both within the family and outside) they can talk to, if they are worried, upset or do not feel safe. Make sure these adults know they are on your child’s list.
• Remind children that they can talk to you or a trusted adult about anything, no matter how big or small their worry might be.
• Talk to children about how they know when they feel safe or unsafe. Help them to listen to their early warning signs (how their body feels), and to trust their feelings and instincts.
• Use everyday activities as opportunities for conversations (for example, preparing meals and snacks, going for walks, playing, shopping). If children are used to having lots of communication, it can make it easier to talk when big or tricky issues come up.
• Be open to talking about all kinds of feelings, including anger, joy, frustration, fear and anxiety. This helps children to develop a ‘feelings vocabulary’.
• National Child Protection Week is a great time to start conversations with children and families about feeling safe.

Free Parent Seminar – All Parents Welcome
Navigating a s*xed-up world: How can we help our children resist harmful messages from media and pop culture and aspire to respectful relationships?
Children and young people are being bombarded with inappropriate content from media and popular culture. Drawing from current global literature and the experiences of young people, highly-regarded guest presenters Melinda Tankard Reist and Daniel Principe will explore how these images and messages contribute to a distorted view of bodies, relationships and sexuality. Melinda and Daniel will suggest strategies to address this toxic culture and provide practice tips on raising happy, healthy and resilient young people who value their dignity and self-worth and aspire to relationships based on respect and authentic connection. Register your attendance now here.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 3.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Lai (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

WHAT’S ON

SEPTEMBER
6 September  DAV Junior Debating, Round 1
7 September  Indigenous Literacy Day
14 September  R U OK? Day
SEISA Spring Carnival
15 September  Footy Colours Day
End of Term 3, 2:10 pm finish

DOBSONS TRADING HOURS

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.

TRARALGON SECONDARY SCHOOL RECEPTION HOLIDAY HOURS

Secondary School Office will be closed during the Term 3 holiday break.
For any urgent needs please contact Warragul Reception on (03) 5623 5833.

BOOK WEEK

CBCA’s Book Week was celebrated at the Traralgon Secondary School recently with the students participating in a literary character dress up.
The students raised money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) while having some fun at the same time. A second-hand book sale raised more funds with a total of $136.75 raised for the ILF.

Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

SPORT NEWS

SEISA Junior MVP – Soccer
At our last assembly, I had the opportunity to present Avan Macdonald the Most Valuable Player in the SEISA Junior Winter Soccer Round Robin. After each round, the coach allocates votes to players who not only play well but also contribute to the team and is encouraging on the field.

Avan with Mrs Timmer-Arends on stage at the recent assembly.

SEISA Intermediate/Senior Winter Round Robin – Wrap up
Over the past five weeks, St Paul’s was very competitive across all winter sports in the Intermediate/Senior Winter Round Robin. In the end, we had several teams that made finals. For our Intermediate teams, it was both our Boys and Girls Soccer team and Girls Intermediate Basketball. All teams played exceptionally well but it was our Girls Soccer team that came out victors; 3 – 1. Another exceptional result for our coach, Ms Kara Kimberley.

Interschool Gymnastics – Windsor
St Paul’s entered teams in the recent Interschools Gymnastics competition held in Windsor, Melbourne. Our four students, Rheid Haley, Grace Marshall, Kydan and Aston Makepeace travelled to Warragul for three early morning training sessions to prepare them for the competition that was held on Monday 28 August.

Grace Marshall and Rheid Haley waiting for the presentation at the ISG in Windsor.

Kydan and Aston Makepeace receiving their medals.

They all did a tremendous job and it was great to see Kydan and his brother Aston make podium, coming first and second respectively in their D grade division. Special thanks to Dr Mansfield, staff member from the Warragul Campus who worked in the background to make this happen for our students.

Sandra Timmer-Arends
Head of Years 9 and 10
Head of Sport – Traralgon Campus
Health and Physical Education

TRARALGON SECONDARY SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members and students having lessons outside of school are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason and/or the listed ensemble director for further information: hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-curricular

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES

Our focus on Metacognitive Strategies in 2023 continues as we make an effort to make students aware of their sub-conscious thought processes. By thinking about the way we think, we can maximise the strategies students use to learn, to study or to organise themselves and complete tasks.

It was reaffirming to hear from James Pinnuck (Ticking Minds) when he spoke to Years 11 and 12 students – and then staff – about the best ways to approach their study. He repeated the need to understand the delineation between homework (a piece of work or task to be completed), study (looking ahead, learning more, pre-loading before a new topic) and revision (looking back over materials, revisiting concepts, utilising feedback provided previously).

He also made a couple of other key points:
•  “Study isn’t about doing time such as a two hour block, but more so about achieving goals. Three prompts that could target student thinking are:
o  I need to practice
o  I need to improve my understanding of
o  I need to remember
– Homework can be ‘to study’ or ‘to revise’
Our current Metacognitive Strategies are:
• Monotasking
We all know that at some point in recent decades, the ability to multi-task was lauded as a skill and people who could not focus on more than one thing were ridiculed and condemned … or so it seemed. However, it is clear to us all that the new need is for people – and students, in particular, at this formative stage of their lives – to focus on one task at a time and to complete it properly.  The link to the note above on study skills is obvious – a phone next to a student who is completing schoolwork is inevitably a distraction. The impact of a distraction is significant on your cognitive load and the ‘resumption lag’ as you attempt to refocus is also a burden. Our current aim is to encourage students to focus on one task at a time and we will also try to model this same strategy!
• Tone setting
We all know that we can set the tone in a conversation, meeting, family interaction and in the classroom. Our focus with this strategy is not only to consider the way we as teachers set the tone at the beginning of the lesson but to also have students consider the way that they begin a class, a task or a study/homework session.

Gordon Oldham
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Warragul Campus

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Join the fun! Register here.

PETER PAN JR

From Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 October, Traralgon Secondary School will perform ‘Peter Pan JR’ at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) – an exciting first for Traralgon Campus productions!
Based on J.M. Barrie’s classic tale and featuring an unforgettable score by Morris “Moose” Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favourites of all time. This high-flying Tony Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and delighted audiences for sixty years and is now adapted for young performers.

Tickets are now available via Peter Pan JR | Latrobe City Council.

Please come along to support our wonderfully talented students and enjoy an outing to the theatre!

Susan Guy
Performing Arts Department – Traralgon Campus

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

The end of Term 3 is quickly drawing to a close and it is an opportunity to reflect and consider the achievements of students and staff.

We have enjoyed a number of special events including: ICAS, Parent Teacher Interviews, Father’s Evening Event, Father’s Day Stall, Years 3 and 4 Camp, Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod for our Year 2 Strings, Year 5 Band and Junior School Choir, National Day of Action Against Bullying, Brainstorm Productions Theatre Performance, Book Week, Book Character Parade, Science Week and Science Activity Day, Vicspell, RoboCup Challenge, Hockey 7s, Basketball, Netball and a visit from the Melbourne Star cricket players. What a busy term it has been!

None of these special events can take place without behind-the-scenes preparations and work. Many thanks to all of our teachers and parents who have worked tirelessly to ensure students can participate and enjoy such a range of co-curricular activities.

Father’s Day celebrations
Last week we enjoyed gathering together with Dads and special friends to participate in our annual ‘Minute To Win It’ evening and a special FOSP Father’s Day raffle. There was lots of fun and laughter and the winners of the raffle draw went home with big grins.
The Father’s Day stall on Friday was a wonderful opportunity for our students to select a special gift for Dad or someone special. The gifts were carefully sourced by our FOSP group and we hope that all Dads enjoyed their Father’s Day and were able to lock in some lovely memories with their children.

Thank you to everyone involved in these events and to FOSP for the fabulous raffle and stall gifts. Many thanks to the following local businesses who very generously donated items for our raffle prizes:
• Store Sixty One
• Well Balanced Chiropractic
• Total Tools
• The Garden Station
• Bunnings Traralgon
• Drummond Golf Traralgon
• Body Shop – Monique Cawcutt

Years 3 and 4 Waratah Beach Camp
Our campers returned tired, happy and full of stories of the adventures enjoyed at Waratah Beach Camp. Favourite activities included Nitro Crossing, Caterpillar Crawl, Flying Fish (Giant Swing) Aero Ball, Treasure Island, Initiatives and Look Up, Look Down on the beach. Students loved the rock pool ramble, the night walk and the campfire with marshmallows! Students thoroughly enjoyed the new experiences and grew in confidence throughout their three days on camp. Many thanks to Mrs Sarah Johnson for her organisation of the camp and to all of the teachers who attended and cared for students ensuring they had a great time.

Every Child in Every Community Needs a Fair Go
National Child Protection Week is all about the ways that we can all work together to build communities that support children and families.

Children are safest when they are listened to, respected and believed.

All adults can play a part by ‘tuning in’ to children in everyday situations about small worries; then they are much more likely to feel comfortable telling us if something big is wrong.

Talking with children about safety:
• Support children to identify trusted adults (both within the family and outside) they can talk to, if they are worried, upset or do not feel safe. Make sure these adults know they are on your child’s list.
• Remind children that they can talk to you or a trusted adult about anything, no matter how big or small their worry might be.
• Talk to children about how they know when they feel safe or unsafe. Help them to listen to their early warning signs (how their body feels), and to trust their feelings and instincts.
• Use everyday activities as opportunities for conversations (for example, preparing meals and snacks, going for walks, playing, shopping). If children are used to having lots of communication, it can make it easier to talk when big or tricky issues come up.
• Be open to talking about all kinds of feelings, including anger, joy, frustration, fear and anxiety. This helps children to develop a ‘feelings vocabulary’.
• National Child Protection Week is a great time to start conversations with children and families about feeling safe.

National Child Protection Week is a great time to start conversations with children and families about feeling safe.

To mark National Child Protection Week 2023, eSafety is also offering new and updated learning activities.  There are a number of resources for families to access for free and some great information about staying safe online https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents.

eSafety also offers free webinars including a broad range of topics that are delivered online by an expert education and training team. These are highly recommended for parents.
• eSafety 101: How eSafety can help you
• Online boundaries and consent
• Getting the most out of gaming
• Online relationships and consent: Sending nudes and sexting
• Getting started with social media: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram
• In case you missed it

Free Parent Seminar – All Parents Welcome
Navigating a s*xed-up world: How can we help our children resist harmful messages from media and pop culture and aspire to respectful relationships?
Children and young people are being bombarded with inappropriate content from media and popular culture. Drawing from current global literature and the experiences of young people, highly-regarded guest presenters Melinda Tankard Reist and Daniel Principe will explore how these images and messages contribute to a distorted view of bodies, relationships and sexuality. Melinda and Daniel will suggest strategies to address this toxic culture and provide practice tips on raising happy, healthy and resilient young people who value their dignity and self-worth and aspire to relationships based on respect and authentic connection. Register your attendance now here.

SRC focuses on Road Safety
Our SRC has been busy working alongside the Latrobe City Council to advocate for a school crossing on Cross’s Road. Our SRC continues to be concerned about traffic and parking and the dangers for students and families. Earlier this term, SRC members Melia Sellings, Mason Chan, Arlo Agustin, David Ogabiela and Josie Ruyg met with Daniel Kelabora from the council to discuss their concerns and share the data they had been collecting at drop-off and pick-up times.

Daniel shared some alarming statistics about collision speed. He explained that the difference in speed from 70 kilometres per hour to 50 kilometres per hour to 30 kilometres per hour of a car colliding with a pedestrian or cyclist would reduce the probability of a fatality from 100 per cent to 80 per cent to 10 per cent. These statistics are very significant and absolutely horrifying as we are aware of many cars speeding along Cross’s Road.
Daniel also shared a road safety presentation with students and provided opportunities for them to express their concerns and participate in some planning for the local roads. This was a very worthwhile meeting and our students gained some important knowledge about council processes and road safety.

In particular, the Safe Routes to Schools approach was shared with students. The Safe Routes to School approach combines education and behaviour change actions with road safety infrastructure.

1. The approach uses a mix of improvements:
•  Engineering
•  Education
•  Engagement
•  Enforcement
2. Establish local council and school partnership that is ongoing
3. Work with students and the school community to design and implement locally-relevant actions
4. Monitor and evaluate changes in road safety and active travel to school

This approach highlights that we all have responsibilities to work together to improve road safety for our students.

Our SRC is hopeful that they will very soon be sharing some exciting news about a school crossing on Cross’s Road. In the meantime, please be very careful driving through the school carpark and along Cross’s Road and ensure you are obeying the speed limits of 10 kilometres per hour in our carpark and 40 kilometres per hour along Cross’s Road.

R U OK? Day
Understanding the growing challenges related to mental health among young people is an important consideration. Anxiety, depression and self-harm – are all causes for concern. Factors like academic pressure, social media, family dynamics and societal expectations, are contributing to these issues. It is therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to take action early, remove the stigma around discussing mental health and offer accessible support to address these issues and the wellbeing of their children.

R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention year round by urging people to invest time in personal relationships and empowering informal support networks to identify signs of distress. We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, “Are you OK?”

Engaging in R U OK? Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it is a commitment to our students’ overall development. By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK? Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.

This special report provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report: https://stpaulsags.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-r-u-ok-day.

Supervision before and after school
I would like to remind parents that teachers are on duty in the morning from 8:30 am and classrooms are open from 8:45 am. Teachers invite students into classrooms from 8:45 am to organise themselves and set up ready for lessons which begin promptly at 9:00 am. For families who need an earlier arrival time before 8:30 am or later pick up time from school after 3:30 pm, Clubhouse Bootcamp is available for supervised care. Families can register here https://www.clubhousebootcamp.com.au/. Please do not leave your child unattended on the school grounds outside of the times that a teacher is on duty. If you are running late for pick up in the afternoon, please contact the office so we can collect your child to wait at the administration building and ensure they are safe and cared for.

The Junior School Office has been particularly busy this term and I would like to thank Stephanie Vozzo, Kayla Ludbey and Jeanette Marshall for their unlimited patience and friendly and kind response to all parents, students and staff who enter the office. In particular, I would like to sincerely thank Jeanette for stepping up and joining our administration team in Terms 2 and 3. She has been efficient, generous and a delightful team member.

End of term
We will finish the term with the Vicspell State final hosted here at St Paul’s Junior School on Tuesday 12 September, R U OK? Day and Classroom Expos on Thursday 14 September and Footy Colours Day on Friday 15 September.  Term 3 will end on Friday 15 September and students will be dismissed at 2:20 pm. Bus travellers please note that buses will depart at 2:00 pm

I wish everyone a safe and restful holiday break and look forward to seeing you all at the beginning of Term 4 on Monday 2 October. (Years 1 to 6 Swimming Program starts on this day – don’t forget your bathers!)

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 3.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Lai (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

WHAT’S ON

SEPTEMBER
12 September  Vicspell State Final
13 September  Division Athletics
14 September  Classroom Expos
R U OK? Day
15 September  Footy Colours
End of Term 3, 2:20 pm finish

OCTOBER
1 to 6 October  Years 1 to 6 Swimming
9 to 11 October  Years 1 to 6 Swimming
6 October  Red for Dyslexia Day
10 October  Region Athletics
11 October  Prep 2024 Parent Information Evening
11 to 14 October  Canberra Camp
12 October  Division Hot Shot Tennis
16 to 19 October  Prep Swimming
18 October  Prep 2024 Play Afternoon
19 October  Prep Swimming
20 October  Relay for Life
23 to 26 October  Prep Swimming
25 October  Prep 2024 Play Afternoon
26 October  Region Hot Shots Tennis
27 October  Kapelle Konzert

NOVEMBER
1 November  State Athletics,
Prep 2024 Transition Day 1
2 November  Junior School Musical – Matinee 1:00 pm, Evening 6:00 pm
6 November  Mid-term Break
7 November  Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday
8 November  Prep 2024 Transition Day 2
10 November  Codetta Concert
Year 2 Sleepover
16 November  Arts Showcase
17 November  Purple Day
22 November  Prep 2024 Transition Day 3
23 November  Endeavour Program Showcase
24 November  Student Free Day
28 November  Year 5 Market Day
29 November  Orientation Day – Step Up 1
30 November  Orientation Day – Step Up 2

DECEMBER
1 December  Orientation Day – Step Up 3
Christmas Celebration Evening
4 December  Year 6 Excursion
5 December  Christmas Service
Year 6 Graduation Dinner
6 December  Swim Carnival
7 December  Christmas Activity Day
8 December  Presentation Assembly
End of Term 4, 3:20 pm finish

TRARALGON JUNIOR SCHOOL RECEPTION

The Junior School Office will be closed during the Term 3 holiday break. The administration email inbox will be monitored during this time and parents are welcome to email with any concerns or requests tgonadmin@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

For any urgent needs please contact Warragul Reception on (03) 5623 5833.

DOBSONS TRADING HOURS

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
In Prep we have been expanding our sentences by adding a ‘where’ detail. This is in addition to using the words ‘because’, ‘but’ and ‘so’ to elevate our sentences.

In Maths, we began our new topic of data and statistics. Students have been asking each other questions such as “Do you like bananas?” or “What is your favourite season out of summer and winter?”. They recorded the results using a tally before adding up the totals and representing their survey in the form of a bar graph.

As part of our integrated unit, students have been designing and building solutions to some of the problems fairytale characters have the in stories we have read. They built a door alarm to help stop Goldilocks from entering the house of the Three Bears, built a bridge to help the Three Billy Goats and designed a carrier to protect the golden egg from falling down the beanstalk.

Year 1
In Year 1, we have been continuing to build upon our paragraph writing skills, writing about spring and how to care for our environment. To help with this we have been learning different sentence structures and how to use adverbs to add meaning to our writing.

In Maths we have been working on two-digit addition and subtraction and calculating the volume of rectangular prisms.

Year 1 students used balloons as part of Play is the Way where we focused on quick transitions between activities and the red life raft of ‘Pursuing our personal best no matter who we work with,’ where students made sensible decisions to work with someone they don’t normally work with.
Year 2
Year 2 students have had another massive week of learning. In Literacy, students have been planning and writing different types of poems, looking carefully at the specific structures of each.

In Numeracy, there has been a strong focus on using our skip counting skills to solve multiplication facts. Students have also used balance scales to estimate, measure and compare the mass of objects.

We had an amazing day on Thursday designing, building and testing our vehicles for our Integrated Unit this term. It was great to see so many students think creatively when designing their vehicle, taking into consideration push/pull forces. When something wasn’t quite right, students went back to the drawing board to modify and improve their design.

Year 3
Waratah Bay Beach Camp

On the first day, we got on the bus early in the morning. When we were nearly there, we stopped at Fish Creek for a snack and a play. When we got to Waratah Bay, we ate lunch and listened to the rules. Then we got told who was in our cabins. I was Room Captain! Then we got into our Activity Groups, I was in Group 6. The first activity our group did was Jail Break and the Initiatives Course. After that, our group did Aeroball. We had to jump on trampolines and try to get the other person out by throwing a ball at a target. We did a beach walk that was called Look Up, Look Down. We went to our cabins, showered and had roast pork for tea. Dessert was apple and berry crumble with ice cream. Next, we went on a night walk and roasted marshmallows on a campfire. The next morning my activity group did the Nitro Crossing, Caterpillar Crawl then the Flying Fish which is the giant swing. That was my favourite activity. After lunch we went on a beach walk to the rockpools. When we got there, the activity groups decorated their number in the sand then we looked for sea creatures such as crabs, starfish, sea urchins, puffer fish and many more. On the walk back, we nearly got caught in the storm. After dinner there was a disco with DJ Gareth. In the morning, we packed up our cabins, bought souvenirs and played some games like hockey, bowling and throwing a ball into a bucket and then got on the bus. When we were nearly at Traralgon, we stopped in Mirboo North for a play. When we were there, one of the buses got a flat tyre. Luckily they fixed the tyre so we could get back to Traralgon. I had so much fun!
By Lil Zanella

I was feeling anxious for my first time away from home but I was very excited to be going on my first school camp. I sat next to my bus buddy Makenzie as Mum, Dad and Frank waved me off in the car park. We stopped in Fish Creek to eat a snack and have a play. Shortly after, we arrived at camp and had lunch. We got settled into our cabins and our activity groups. My first activity was Aeroball which was fun until what happened next. I was standing near the edge and fell backwards onto my elbow. Miss Bec got me an ice pack and it was really sore so she had to call Mum. Dad picked me up at dinner time and I was hungry so we went to Leongatha and had KFC. We got home and Mum saw me struggle into bed and she said “Get your slippers on” and I asked “Why?” and she said “I’m taking you to the emergency room.” She took me and we got in about 12 or 12:30 am and stayed overnight. I have a half cast on my arm as I got a small fracture.
By Robbie Kennedy

At the start of the day, we got to school very early and there was a lot of emotion such as excitement and tears. When the buses got to school, we hopped on and off we went. My bus buddy was Lil and it was a very quiet seat between us I even fell asleep. On the way to Waratah Bay, we stopped at Fish Creek for a play and recess then we got back on the bus. At camp we found out who was in our cabins and duty groups. Our first activity was the low ropes course then initiatives. After that, we had morning tea and then went on to our next activities which were Aeroball, then Look Up, Look Down. In Look Up, Look Down, we went to the beach. At the beach, we took off our shoes, collected shells, built sandcastles and saw crabs. Then we went back to camp and had dinner. Then we got ready for marshmallow toasting and a night walk on the beach. The next day we had eggs and bacon and went to our last activities, Treasure Island, Caterpillar Crawl, Nitro Crossing and Flying Fish. After lunch we walked to the rockpools. At the rockpools we made our numbers and then looked around. After dinner we had a disco with DJ Gareth, then went to bed. The next day, we had pancakes for breakfast and I was on duty group then we made lunch. After that we got on the bus and drove away.
By Charli Dalla Valle

Hi, my name is Lucas and I will be telling you about my first camp ever. First, my mum dropped me off at school and I was really anxious about camp. We put our bags on the bus and we were ready to go. When we left, I was still a bit anxious but after about ten minutes, I was okay. We didn’t really do anything on the bus ride. On the way there, we stopped at Fish Creek for a snack and a play. I went on the swing and I also went on the slide. After that, we went back on the bus and we only had twenty minutes before we got there and I started seeing signs saying ‘Waratah Beach Camp’. When we got there, we had lunch and they told us the rules. After that, we got our rooms and were told the people who we are staying with. The people who I was staying with were Kartik, Mason, Marc, Dylan and Dharma. When we got to our room, we started to unpack our stuff and get ready for the first day of activities. There were seven activity groups. I was in group five. My three favourite activities were Flying Fish, Initiatives and lastly, Look Up, Look Down on the beach. We had lots of food, bacon and eggs, pancakes, pork and lasagna. On the way back, we stopped at Mirboo North for lunch then we came back to school.
By Lucas Poole

Last week the Years 3 and 4 students went on school camp at Waratah Beach for two nights. My roommates were Alyan, Dharmik, Arjan, Jed, Jake and Arham. We had so many fun activities to do like Aeroball, Treasure Island, Dolphin Dodge/Gaga, Flying Fish, Caterpillar Crawl, Look Up, Look Down and a beach walk to the rockpools. My favourite was the Flying Fish. It was like a swing but it was taller than the trees. I felt like I was flying! Our chef cooked amazing dinners. Night time was twice as good with my friends on a night walk and campfire with yummy marshmallows. We even had a disco and Mr G was our DJ and he even played my favourite song ‘TNT’. School camp was lots of fun and I can’t wait until next year!
By Jackson Whitechurch
Year 4
Last week, the Year 4 students all had a wonderful time on camp at Waratah Beach from Monday to Wednesday. There were lots of challenging activities for students to complete in groups and many students were extremely brave and overcame their fears. It was also lovely to see them all working together with students from other classes to pursue their personal best. They are already looking forward to next year’s camp!

This week, they have been working on their Inventor’s Notebooks in Integrated Studies – completing a flow map to show the steps they needed to follow to complete their design and some students even managed to start making their design. They are all very excited about displaying their hard work for parents to see at our Classroom Expo next week.

In Literacy, we have focused on sentence level writing with different sentence constructions and using a plethora of new vocabulary learnt in class. We have also started our Poetry unit and the students have written their own haiku poems. In Numeracy, we have been working on fractions and decimal numbers.

Year 5
The Year 5 children enjoyed the pampering session during the Father’s Day and Special Persons evening. Thank you to everyone who entered our classrooms to be involved in our Day Spa session. It was lovely to observe some of our Year 5 parents experiencing the exfoliating, oil hand massage and moisturising treatments that the Mothers enjoyed earlier in the year.

Year 6
On Thursday, eight Year 6 girls departed school early and made their way down to the Footscray Hockey Club for the SSV Primary Girls State Hockey 7s Championships. Competing against tough competition, the girls can be proud of their efforts and their positive attitude towards the day. Final results will be shared to our school community once they are confirmed but for now a huge congratulations to Lilijah, Sophie, Georgia, Frankie, Zaara, Dheaia, Aerin and Josie for representing St Paul’s at this competition.

This week the Year 6 students have been getting ready for the Years 5 and 6 Writing Challenge, they have had an intense workshop to develop and write poems of choice. Students have also had time to sketch and draw a piece of art to match their poems.

This week the Year 6 students have also been making natural disaster safety posters, natural disasters can be devastating for the human populations they affect. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult for scientists and meteorologists to predict exactly when and where these events will occur. For this reason, people living in disaster-prone areas must immediately know what to do to keep themselves safe in the event of a natural disaster. We are also preparing to write a news article about a historical natural disaster of their choice.

By Sophie Dodd and Sayuni Gunawardana
Year 6 Students

WELLBEING UPDATE 

In IGNITE lessons, the later part of Term 3 has seen a shift from the first message of Protective Behaviours ‘We all have the right to feel safe all the time’ to the second message, ‘We can talk with someone about anything, even if it feels awful or small.’ Protective Behaviours encourages the development of a clear ‘support network’ which we can call upon having identified that we are feeling unsafe. Within the support network we would ideally have five people who might be able to help us do some problem-solving. They might be people who ask questions so that we can come up with our own solutions; they might be people who actually give some advice; they could be friends or family or people at the end of a helpline – sometimes it is easier to ‘phone a help line as they, and us, remain anonymous. It does not necessarily have to be about something that is really terrible; it might be that we need to mull things over or celebrate an achievement. Having four people plus the ones at home, is suggested so that we have got a bit of variety and back up options if our first choice of contact is unavailable.

Students have also started to work on positive coping skills to manage situations where they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. This will continue to be the focus for the remainder of the term.

Lara Gibbons

OBSTACLE COURSE CHALLENGES!

After sharing mealtimes together outdoors and enjoying some social interaction, the Pre-Prep children are given the challenge of completing an obstacle course. This can involve climbing, balancing, hopping, frog jumps, bear walks and using their body in a multitude of ways. The activity builds confidence and many skills, and the children have started to add their voices to extend the activity.
Engaging in these gross motor experiences assists children in building their core strength for postural control and shoulder stability when writing, as well as being lots of fun!

Tracey Pisani
Koala Group Teacher

BOOK WEEK

Reflecting on the amazing Book Week Parade we had last week, where the theme for 2023 “Read, Grow, Inspire” truly came to life! Seeing the students embody their favourite book characters was inspiring, and it’s a reminder of the power of reading to nurture both imagination and knowledge.
Let’s keep the spirit alive!

Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

TRARALGON JUNIOR SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members and students having lessons outside of school are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason and/or the listed ensemble director for further information: hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-curricular

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Join the fun! Register here.

PETER PAN JR

From Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 October, Traralgon Secondary School will perform ‘Peter Pan JR’ at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) – an exciting first for Traralgon Campus productions!
Based on J.M. Barrie’s classic tale and featuring an unforgettable score by Morris “Moose” Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favourites of all time. This high-flying Tony Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and delighted audiences for sixty years and is now adapted for young performers.

Tickets are now available via Peter Pan JR | Latrobe City Council.

Please come along to support our wonderfully talented students and enjoy an outing to the theatre!

Susan Guy
Performing Arts Department – Traralgon Campus

MAKING MOMENTS AND FINDING MOMENTS

It is a sunny Saturday afternoon and I am sitting in a small electric boat with seven other people, six of them strangers. The food is delicious, the drink refreshing and the conversation both deep and enriching – one of those magical moments in life that only come along occasionally. This was no accidental moment though. Thanks to a very creative friend (the other person on the boat that I knew) this was a carefully planned celebration designed for him and by him to celebrate his birthday, to produce that meaningful moment. Homework had been given, bookings made, weather forecasts consulted and invitations sent. And full credit to him, it was a marvellous idea. Fast forward to the next day – Father’s Day – where I find myself eating a delicious hot breakfast cooked for me by one of my sons. Another magical moment although this time I felt a tinge of disappointment that he could not stay and appreciate my enjoyment because he had to rush off to work. It was two days and two moments that got me thinking about the importance of those special moments with family, friends or even with God.

There has been plenty written, spoken and sung about treasuring the time we have with our children. There is a reason the 1974 Harry Chapin song, ‘Cats in the Cradle’ still resonates with us today. We know that there are things we can do to create moments with our family or with our friends and they do not all require a boat trip on the Yarra. Things like regular family meals, celebrating birthdays and taking family holidays. There are also moments that we cannot plan for, that arrive unannounced and often at inconvenient moments. It is that moment when your child interrupts you as you are mid-task and says, “Could you have a look at this for me?” or asks enthusiastically just as you collapse onto the couch, “Hey Dad, watch this – can you do this?” It is the moment when a friend suddenly stops, looks at you and, apropos of nothing, says, “Can I ask you a question?”.
In those instances, we have a choice. Do we let the opportunity pass us by or do we enter into it and allow the moment to unfold? The key, as a colleague said to me recently, is being present in the moment. And I would add not just being present but being prepared to discover moments where none were planned for. English writer G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” Are we prepared to consider those interruptions to our day as opportunities for adventure? I have lamented in the past the constant wearing of earbuds or headphones and the need to be always plugged into some sort of entertainment that seems to beset our society. I think they make it harder for those spontaneous moments to happen because they stop us from being present with the people and events immediately around us. To draw again from the wisdom of Chesterton, “The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” When we use our devices to curate so much of what we see and hear, we limit ourselves to the carefully managed path of our digital tourist guide. When we allow ourselves to be open to the world around us, we become travellers who may find ourselves on all sorts of unexpected paths.

What is true for our family and friends is also true for our spiritual lives. How much room do we make for encounters with God? There are things we can do to create moments where we feel connected to God – church gatherings, private devotional times, prayer and meditation, connecting with nature – but there are also opportunities for ‘spiritual moments’ in the midst of the most mundane and practical tasks. Because God is a relational God and just like our children, our family and our friends, the thing that God desires most is to be with us. Author Skye Jethani puts it this way, “It is not our circumstances or behaviours or radical decisions that give our lives meaning and hope, but our unity with God himself.” (Skye Jethani, With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God).

So next time your child interrupts you at an inconvenient time, or you reach for the earbuds to distract you from the world around you, or you feel like God is distant, may you have the courage and grace to find in that moment, the possibility of an adventure with someone who wants to journey with you. And in that adventure, may you know the love of family, the bond of friendship, the joy of living and the overwhelming presence of God. Because, to give G.K. Chesterton the last word, “There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.”

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain