In this issue

• From the Chaplain
• Booklists 2023
• Market Week
• Celebration of Generations Alumni Breakfast

Grammarian Issue 15, 21 October 2022

From the Principal

The final school day for Year 12 students was an outstanding success on Wednesday 19 October. I congratulate all of our graduating cohort on the superb manner in which they joined together to celebrate the end of their secondary schooling. They epitomised respect, consideration and appreciation throughout the day, which truly is a great credit to the Class of 2022.

We thank our Year 12 students for their many contributions over the years during their time at St Paul’s. We particularly thank them for what they have contributed and achieved this year. After dealing with a variety of uncertainties and altered situations during the past two years, they have been rewarded with a final year of school that did not have the same disruption. I extend every best wish to all our Year 12 students who will be sitting VCE examinations which commence next week, but also to those who have moved on to other ventures. Ever onward!

Cameron Herbert
Principal

Grammarian Issue 15, 21 October 2022

Traralgon Junior School

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

This week, our students, teachers and parents have all enjoyed working with Wilson McCaskill, founder of Play Is the Way (PITW). Each class has had an opportunity to play games with Wilson and focus on the Life Raft concepts working towards building their personal and social skills. Teachers have also participated in coaching and have received individual feedback and guidance to refine their skills. Parents who attended the PITW Information Evening actively engaged in the session activities and eagerly took in Wilson’s messages about guiding and developing empathic, independent and resilient children who are persistent, able to regulate their emotions and are intrinsically motivated. The evening finished with a buzz and lots of excited and inspired parents who raved about Wilson’s session and were feeling very grateful to have attended such a worthwhile event.

PLAY IS THE WAY® is a social and emotional learning (SEL) methodology using:

Physically interactive, games and activities that both require and develop personal and social capabilities as they are being played.
Five guiding concepts that serve as a moral compass and help children to do what they believe is right and best to do. When embedded, these concepts prevent children from drowning in life and learning – hence, they are aptly called Life Raft concepts.
An empowering self-reflective language that helps children to master their behaviour in preparation for a responsible life in a free and democratic society.
Six key virtues we call our Pathway To Empathy virtues. When understood, practised and habituated, these virtues result in people of strong character and empathy.

PLAY IS THE WAY® gives primary schools a way to develop, improve and embed the personal and social capabilities of students and is suitable for primary school children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

The Play Is The Way games are played regularly by all classes in our Junior School. They however, are not just games for fun, pleasure or competition. There is explicit clear learning involved in each of the games which are designed to challenge and push children out of their comfort zones encouraging them to regulate, problem-solve and work together.

Why Games?

PITW games help children to develop and habituate patterns of behaviour that are personally advantageous and culturally appropriate.
By playing these games children initiate a process of self-awareness and discovery. They create a shared body of experience that is used to build up relationships within the group and to develop the group.
PITW games create a common awareness and language with which to discuss the processes of human action and interaction. They encourage empathy, respect and an appreciation of difference.
PITW games engage children’s emotions and call for mastery and control of those emotions to achieve success. By being challenging, the games develop self-motivation and perseverance. They help children to identify the reasons for failure and foster optimism and resilience.
PITW games encourage children to use their skills to advantage others in the pursuit of common objectives. They strengthen the skills of teamwork and cooperation and help children to manage relationships.
PITW games improve the social, emotional, physical and mental health of children.
PITW games act as metaphors, similes and analogies for life and by playing these games children hone the skills that help them to live, learn, work and play well.
PITW games assist children to control impulsive behaviour and control the need for immediate gratification as they strive for long-term benefits and goals.
PITW games teach children to respond appropriately to the thrill of success and the disappointment of failure. To enjoy competition with good grace and consideration for the other side.
Because they require effort and application, the games help children to understand the value of process in the pursuit of success.

Life Raft Concepts

The Life Raft concepts are:

The Virtues
Empathy sets us apart from machines and from many other animals. It enables us to relate to other people and their experiences, to understand other people, to yield kindness and helps us to develop the courage to stand up for ourselves and others. Empathy brings about stronger personal connections and more meaningful, supportive relationships. It is strongly linked with academic success and the more social and emotional skills students are equipped with, the easier they will find the social aspect of schooling, and the more they will be able to focus on their learning.

If Empathy was a cake, the Play Is The Way virtues are the ingredients to make the cake. In our Junior School, we explicitly teach the virtues: good manners, friendliness, courage, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, persistence and resilience. We teach these through good quality literature, PITW games and in all curriculum areas.

The opportunity to work with Wilson and Julie McCaskill has been extremely worthwhile for our school community. I thank our students for their engagement, our teachers for their willingness to continue their own professional development and build their knowledge and skills, and our parents for their interest, involvement and support. Working together as a community benefits our students greatly as we develop their personal and social skills and foster independent, self-managing, self-motivated, empathetic, lifelong learners.

Last Monday, teachers engaged in professional development with Dr Kate Jacobs, PhD/Masters Educational & Developmental Psychology, from Raising the Bar Psychology Clinic. She delivered a workshop about ‘Learning Disabilities and Difficulties’ focusing on dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. There was much discussion about classroom adjustments and modifications for students with these learning difficulties and additional needs. As mentioned in the last Grammarian, October is Dyslexia Awareness month and this professional learning was a terrific opportunity to further develop our school’s knowledge and practices.

Here are some myths we busted about dyslexia sourced from GAABLAB: https://www.gaablab.com/dyslexia-myths

1. Individuals with dyslexia/reading impairment are just lazy and just need to try harder!

Individuals with dyslexia or reading impairments are very hard working but the usual way or intensity used to teach them to learn to read is not sufficient to turn them into a reader.
All individuals with dyslexia/reading impairments CAN learn to read but it requires evidence-based intensive intervention (which varies across individuals) and a dedicated team to reach the same level as typically developing kids.
All children have the right to learn to read and reach their full potential. Every child needs to receive the help they need to develop into a successful, motivated reader and, most importantly, maximize the joy of learning to read for everyone

2. Students with dyslexia or reading impairments only learn if the information is presented in their preferred learning style.

Learning styles are probably the biggest myth in education and there is no research base for this claim.
However, it is important to understand that the lack of evidence for preferred learning styles does not mean that we shouldn’t give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge OR try to maximize engagement and motivation. This will actually enhance their learning.

3. Individuals with dyslexia see words backwards or letters reversed and any child who reverses letters or numbers has dyslexia.

Letter reversal in reading and writing is common in many beginning readers.
Letter reversals were once thought to be the main characteristics of dyslexia, but most research suggests that there is no evidence for more letter reversals in dyslexia compared to peers. Many children aged 3 to 7 spontaneously write their names with reversed order of letters or they write their names in a reversed orientation of the letters themselves.

4. Colored overlays (Irlen Lenses) do cure or alleviate Dyslexia or reading difficulties!

The American Academy of Paediatrics’ Opthamologists’ Joint Statement on Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia and Vision says:

“Vision problems can interfere with the process of learning; however, vision problems are not the cause of primary dyslexia or learning disabilities. Scientific evidence does not support the efficacy of eye exercises, behavioural vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses for improving the long-term educational performance in these complex paediatric neurocognitive conditions. Diagnostic and treatment approaches that lack scientific evidence of efficacy, including eye exercises, behavioural vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses, are not endorsed and should not be recommended”.

Congratulations to Nand Patel who designed the winning paper plane in our CODE READ competition last week. His design was detailed and effective with his paper plane flying over 10 metres! Well done to all of our classes for their involvement and engagement in our Dyslexia Awareness Day. It was wonderful to see everyone dressed in red and participating in conversations together.

Regional Athletics
Congratulations to the following students who represented St Paul’s at the recent Regional Athletics Carnival: William Lambert, David Ogabiela, Gracie Hasthorpe, Isaiah Clavarino and Aeva Haley. Despite some very tough competition all of our students were competitive and determined and can be proud of their efforts. Special acknowledgment goes to David Ogabiela who placed first in the Under 11 Boys Triple Jump, qualifying for the State Track and Field Carnival.

Flying Bookworm
The Flying Bookworm visited the school and entertained our ELC and Prep students with a colourful theatre show last week. There was much laughter and joy from students as they engaged in the show and stories. Many thanks to Ms Jannet Taylor for her organisation of this special event which was thoroughly enjoyed by all involved.

Recycling Launch
At our recent assembly, our Green team launched our recycling initiative with the goal to ensure we are recycling waste products in our Junior School effectively and efficiently. Two new bins have been installed in our grounds. One is for waste (red) and the other for recycling (yellow). Students are making excellent efforts to ensure that our waste is being sorted accurately into these two bins. Classrooms are also making a huge effort to categorise waste for composting, chook food, soft plastics and other recycling. Our Green Team under the leadership of Ms Sarah Berryman are busy planning and organising to ensure we continue to focus on sustainability and to be resource smart.

Arts Showcase Thursday 27 October
Preparations are well underway for our Arts Showcase next Thursday 27 October. This event will be held in our gymnasium with gallery viewing of student artwork from 5:45 pm and student musical and poetry performances starting at 6:15 pm. This evening will be entertaining and a terrific opportunity to celebrate the visual and performing arts skills of our students. All students are involved in performances and it would be wonderful to see all parents on the night.

Day for Daniel Friday 28 October
Held annually on the last Friday of October, Day for Daniel honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe. All Australians on this day are asked to Wear Red, to Educate and to Donate.

The theme for 2022 is Brave Conversations. Parents, carers, and educators are encouraged to start a conversation with children and young people about personal safety. Our teachers will be providing special lessons on this day to raise awareness and build the knowledge of our students to keep themselves safe. Topics that will be covered include:

Feeling and being safe
Making a safety network
Reacting to unsafe feelings
Recognising body clues
Recognise, React & Report

Building on learning about Protective Behaviours from lessons earlier in the year, Day for Daniel is a day to revise and extend children’s awareness and knowledge. Students may wear red somewhere on their uniform on this day if they wish. For families wishing to access resources to use at home or to donate to this worthy cause please go to: https://danielmorcombe.com.au

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

OCTOBER
21 October Year 6 Relay for Life
24 October Prep Swimming (Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri)
27 October Arts Showcase
28 October Day for Daniel
31 October Mid-term break

NOVEMBER
1 November Melbourne Cup Day
4 November Purple Day
Year 2 Sleepover
7 November Book Fair week begins
11 November Remembrance Day Service
15 November Madagascar Junior Musical
16 November Regional Cricket Blast
18 November Student Free Day
21 November State Hot Shot Tennis
23 November Division Bowls
24 November Years 5 and 6 Endeavour Program EXPO
25 November Market Day
Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) Shopping Night

DECEMBER
1 December Whole School Swimming Carnival
2 December Christmas Celebration Evening
5 December Year 6 Excursion
6 December Year 6 Graduation
P-5 Activity Day
7 December Presentation Assembly
Dismissal 3:20 pm

* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.
* TBC – to be confirmed.

DOBSONS TRADING HOURS

Please note that some COVIDSafe procedures may still apply. We thank you for your cooperation.

Order online or click and collect: Please ensure that you only attend the store to collect your items once you have received notification that your order is ready, order here.

Class Updates

ELC
The ELC has had a busy start to Term 4. A visit from Flying Bookworm Theatre Company, the show was written and presented with a focus on enhancing the children’s understanding, engagement and excitement around literature.

The Market Place, The Gingerbread Man and Jack and the Beanstalk were presented by two actors with the children also participating. We were enlivened, entertained, engaged and educated by this experience. The children left the performance motivated to build on the experience and wanting to create their own show.

This week we had Eddie and Rory from AFL Victoria visit. This was a fun interactive session where the children participated in some fun games. Learning how to pick up the ball, handball and a fun game of stealing balls and freezing. It was a fun session and all the children in the Pre-Prep program joined in. The focus of the program was to support child development through teamwork, cross-body motor skills, spatial awareness, balance and coordination.

Prep
Prep students began their swimming program this week and have really loved swimming with their friends. In the classroom, Prep students have continued to develop their sound knowledge and discussed the characters in the texts they have been reading. Our students are continuing to build their familiarity with simple addition facts and counting on to add numbers together. In our Humanities sessions, students have explored different habitats as well as discussed what types of living things survive in those habitats.
Year 1
Year 1 students felt proud completing their swimming program at Ford Swim Centre. Over the two weeks, students enjoyed the short walk to and from the pool and had fun participating in their swimming lessons.
Our Waste Warrior lessons focused on students collecting waste from around our school and categorising items into groups such as paper/card, plastic, metal/foil, glass, textiles and wood. After completing a tally of the amount of waste in each category, students found ‘plastic’ to have the most. Students then discussed strategies to minimise waste items in our school.

Year 2
It has been wonderful to get back into the swing of things; as we have now completed swimming and adjusted to daylight savings!

This week we have had the pleasure of working with Wilson and Julie from Play is the Way. Our Year 2 students loved engaging with them and Ms Olivier and Mrs Sellings have thoroughly enjoyed the coaching and mentoring they have provided.

We have started to learn about the natural water cycle and its importance to our planet. In Maths, we have begun our unit on Money and we will move into narrative writing over the coming days.

We are still busily preparing for the Art Showcase evening and are looking forward to our upcoming incursion and Year 2 sleepover.

Year 3
The Year 3 students participated in the Code Read Paper Plane Challenge for Dyslexia awareness last Friday.

As teachers, “we want to encourage those impacted by dyslexia to soar. We encourage them to do more than simply fly, but to soar, rise swiftly and feel the wind slipping below them as they rise higher and higher!”

The campaign aims to promote a new type of aeroplane, one that provides everything with a dyslexic child the needs to navigate their world successfully: acknowledgement, support and empowerment. ‘Get Onboard’ and soar to a better future where all people with dyslexia are acknowledged through early identification; supported with evidence-based teaching and accommodations, and empowered by equal access to opportunity.”
There were so many colourful and creative designs however Manan and Vishvak were our Year 3 Pilot Champions.

Year 4
In Year 4 as part of our ‘War on Waste’ unit of work, we audited our lunch boxes and created a graph of the rubbish and discussed different ways of disposing our waste. We have also read information about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is growing faster than we can clean it up. In Maths, we have been looking at different types of data displays, fractions together with multiplication and division. As part of Literacy, we have been focusing on analysing information texts and sketch noting to take out key information. We have continued our Poetry Practice and the group is gaining confidence in performing their piece in preparation for next week.

Year 5
Market Day is a big focus for Year 5 students this term. We have been researching products we can make that have a sustainability focus and formed partnerships to create these products over the next month. We are also spending time preparing for the Arts Showcase, practising our class poem and collecting props to use on the night.
During Maths we have been learning about factors and multiples, prime and composite numbers, and multiplying fractions. In English we have continued learning about conjunctions and sentence structure. We enjoy working through literacy and numeracy reviews as they help us practise and strengthen our learning.

Year 6
The Year 6 students have enjoyed the past couple of weeks of learning and preparing for events which are upcoming. We have continued to explore morphemes and the rules associated with adding these to bases. We have spent a couple of days focusing on our numeracy skills, practising the conversion of fractions to decimals and percentages, and we identified and drew a range of angles both within and outside the classroom. Students have continued to build their knowledge and understanding of refugees, including reasons for them becoming refugees and what situations they may find themselves in. They also brainstormed a range of questions that they would ask if they were to visit a refugee camp. There is a lot of excitement with the upcoming Relay For Life and Purple Day events which the students are looking forward to being a part of.

A HUGE THANKS FOR SUPPORTING YEAR 10 MARKET WEEK

Last Friday was a buzz of activity and happy faces as Junior School students enjoyed all that was on offer for Year 10 Market Week. It was wonderful to see the interactions between the biggest and littlest students, as they posed for photos in the photo booth, wolfed into waffles and slurped their shakes.

Mr Treble enjoys a waffle.

Baylea Wilk and Ella Paulet.

Students during Market Week.

Front row: Ava Steevens and Sophie Burslem. Centre row: Chloe Ma and Ellie Richmond-Smith. Back row: Violet Dean, Sofia Jegorow and Mrs Sarah Johnson.

All up over $2,000 profit was made in the week, all going to charity. On behalf of our Year 10 Students, I would like to say a huge thank you to all parents, students, and staff for supporting this event.

Kirsten Enders
Humanities and Commerce Teacher

ALUMNI NEWS

Former students who are current parents at St Paul’s are invited to our ‘Celebration of Generations’ Alumni Breakfast on Thursday 10 November 2022, 7:30 am to 8:45 am.

RSVP by 3 November via our website https://stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/celebration-of-generations-breakfast/.

Spread the word! Register here to join in what is sure to be a fabulous afternoon of reminiscing and celebrating!

CLUB HOUSE BOOT CAMP

Holiday Programs and Before and After School Care brochure here: https://www.clubhousebootcamp.com.au/welcome/

Grammarian Issue 15, 21 October 2022

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

STAGE PRESENCE AND BUSINESS ACUMEN! OUR STUDENTS HAVE IT ALL!

The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
‘Absolute Brilliance’ are the only words that could possibly describe the first two weeks of Term 4 for our Traralgon Secondary School. We commenced the term with not one, but ‘two’, side-splitting performances of the very first play for the Traralgon Secondary School community ‘The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940’. The cast and crew worked tirelessly, including during their recent holidays, to develop the complexity of their characters and to bring this hilarious play to realisation. The evening performances certainly did not disappoint. The choice of comedy brought some much-needed laughter to our community and the over sixty pages of dialogue were expertly delivered by the performers in just over two hours of utter hilarity. Every student involved, from the performers to the backstage and lighting crews is to be congratulated for their dedication and commitment to delivering a superb performance under the guidance of Mr Nathan Byrne ‘Head of Performing Arts – Events’. Our St Paul’s staff rallied to support and encourage our students and we are most grateful to the entire Performing Arts team both at Traralgon and Warragul for their support and assistance with the comedic production. Many, many people generously gave of their time to assist with the preparation for the performances, including our lovely FOSP (Friends of St Paul’s) parents and our extended St Paul’s family who sewed, baked, painted, built, designed and constructed sets, adapted, adjusted, applied makeup and sourced props. We are extremely grateful and indebted to our extended St Paul’s family and we sincerely thank you for your acts of kindness. We know and hope that everyone involved, as well as our families, have some wonderful memories and connections from this experience to hold in their hearts for many years to come.

Kapelle Konzert
Last Friday night we were once again invited to the theatre for the St Paul’s Academy of Music Kapelle Konzert at the Little Theatre Performing Arts Centre at Traralgon for a truly inspirational evening! Spine-tingling compositions were performed by an orchestra comprised of our Academy of Music students from both the Traralgon and Warragul Campuses. The booming timpani resonated beneath the complex layers of sounds to build the tension, as trombones stirred souls, and oboes playfully enticed the audience who were gently tempted to enjoy a crescendo of string and wind instruments in each piece. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house as harmonious voices accompanied the orchestra, lifted the roof and lifted our spirits. Little people spoke with eloquence as they articulated and explained the performance to follow. Older students embraced the international origins of the works and shared with us the rich historical contexts and stories of the composers. We were certainly taken on a journey and treasured every single note. Thank you to Mr Ben Sim, Director of Arts, for his outstanding fostering of our Academy of Music students throughout COVID-19 to share this brilliance with our Traralgon and Warragul communities. It was certainly a night that many proud families and relatives will never, ever forget.

Year 10 Commerce ‘Market Week’
After a great deal of planning and an official meeting to pitch the ‘business proposals’ and a thorough check of ‘risk assessments’, last Friday saw the culmination of much planning come to fruition. The Traralgon Secondary School was a hive of activity as our Year 10 Commerce students cut, cooked, blended, flipped, bounced and shook their way through oodles of hamburgers, milkshakes, spiders, waffles and other enticing business ventures. Students were astounded at the level of interest in their industries and, due to the pre-ordering system, were able to meet and fulfil every customer’s needs. While the money started rolling in for the products, a gradual realisation that costs would need to be extracted from the profits started to make some sense as did the very hard work required to make a potential business a success. Each ‘business’ has chosen to donate its profits to a variety of different charities and we look forward to hearing the exact figures in the coming days as students prepare their final reports. A sincere congratulations to Ms Kirsten Enders for her dedicated work to support her students to learn some valuable ‘real life’ entrepreneurial skills. Many thanks also to the Secondary School staff who supported the events throughout the week and to the families who assisted with shopping for supplies. I would also like to thank the Junior School staff who generously accompanied their students to the market and for providing brilliant supervision and support to our very happy and possibly rather full Junior School customers.

‘Picture Palace and Popcorn’ fun in the Photo Booth.

Year 7 students, Sienna and Freya, enjoying their hamburgers from ‘Banger Bros’.

‘Waffle World’ serving up the best fresh waffles to their hungry peers.

Year 12 Afternoon Tea
Last Friday afternoon a bus load of very excited Year 12 students, accompanied by their Head of Year, Ms Caitlin Powell, descended upon the Traralgon Library for a delicious afternoon tea in their honour with former teachers. Squeals of delight erupted when they saw an electronic display of their time at this campus and once again as the much-loved Traralgon staff popped by to reminisce amongst the sugar fuelled excited chatter.
No sooner had staff arrived, than a spontaneous tour of the Traralgon Secondary School took place and students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to leave messages on whiteboards for staff and recreate some photographic memories in the classrooms. Mr Herbert and Ms Sweeney also popped by to say hello while we wished the class of 2022 all the best for their very bright futures, as well as their impending examinations.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School