In this issue

• Chaplain’s Chat
• COVID-19 Reminder
• Junior School Art Show
• Exam Timetable

Grammarian Issue 16, 4 November 2022

Traralgon Junior School

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

The mid-term break was well timed after a number of very busy weeks in the Junior School and I hope everyone took the opportunity to rest and recharge and spend some family time together.

All classes have now completed their swimming program and students are to be congratulated on their efforts and increasing ability to take responsibility for themselves and belongings during this program.

We have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming our incoming Prep 2023 students to their first ‘Come and Play’ and Transition sessions. This week our Principal, Mr Herbert, joined us along with parents, for the presentation of the “Almost a St Paul’s Preppie’ hats in a special ceremony. Students were able to enjoy a play outside in between showers and some wild wind!

Congratulations
Huge congratulations to David Ogabiela who competed at the State Athletics Championships on Wednesday. Final results 11 Boys Triple Jump saw David place 7th with a PB of 8.89m. What an amazing achievement!

Arts Showcase
There was a hall full of proud teachers and families at our recent Arts Showcase event. Last Thursday we enjoyed viewing some wonderfully creative visual art from students in ELC to Year 6. We were also treated to some delightful class poetry recitals, a performance by our Symphonic Band and some lovely singing by our Junior School Choir. A highlight of the evening was the fabulous individual poetry performances by our Year 5 and Year 6 students.

Performing a poem can offer pleasures unlike any other experience of literature. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to imbue them with shades of deeper meaning. Approaching a poem as a script for an oral performance demands that students pay attention to aspects of writing that they aren’t used to looking for.

When reciting poetry students are given the freedom to express feelings to their audience. It is a form of self-expression with the creativity of words and emotion to convey a message to the audience. This message takes on different tones, playing out the different emotions of being humorous to being defeated to being furious or to being loving.

In poetry recitations, not only are the words used to give a meaning to the poem, but the voice, volume, inflexion, pitch, pauses and speed of delivery contributes to the entire recitation experience. Enhancing the meaning of the poem and in so doing, the poem is brought to life with the passion and vocal expression of the presenter.

We had students who were jumping out of their skin to perform and others who really wanted to give it a go, however, needed to overcome their fear and anxiety. All of our students are to be congratulated for their willingness to be brave and participate even though they were feeling nervous and a little scared. It is the great emotional challenge of performing a poem successfully that then brings a huge sense of achievement and satisfaction and we had many students who were elated and proud after their successful performance.

Many thanks to all of our teachers for their contributions and to our students for their hard work, efforts and courage. It was a very enjoyable evening and so lovely to be able come together as a community to enjoy our special young people.

Day For Daniel
Our Junior School participated in ‘Day for Daniel’ to acknowledge and honour the memory of Daniel Morcombe. The Daniel Morcombe Foundation provides personal child safety education to children and young people to prevent abuse and promote lifelong health and wellbeing. They support educators, parents and carers through the provision of resources and education and also directly support young victims of crime. Daniel’s family want to help children learn what to do if they ever find themselves in an unsafe situation. The Morcombe Family have worked tirelessly for many years to:

To educate children regarding their personal safety (including abduction). Children are taught to Recognise, React & Report.
To assist victims of crime, particularly where crime involves children.
To remember Daniel with suitable child safety community awareness events.
To support the families of Missing Persons particularly where it involves children.

Daniel was a 13-year-old boy who felt safe every day. One Sunday, at the start of the school holidays, he went to catch a bus. Unfortunately, the bus broke down and by the time the next bus turned up Daniel was gone. Daniel’s situation went from safe to unsafe very quickly. Luckily, what happened to Daniel doesn’t happen very often and there are lots of things we can talk about to help our children stay safe.

Junior School students participated in a range of activities to discuss how they can keep themselves safe. Many students added a touch of red to their uniform in recognition of the day. Parents are encouraged to discuss ‘Stranger Danger’ with their children and work through a variety of scenarios and what they should do if they ever feel unsafe in different contexts.

Families can access resources and information here https://danielmorcombe.com.au/

Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) Walking Shopping Tour
Our FOSP group has been busy planning and organising our annual ‘Walking Shopping Tour’ event. It is again shaping up to be a wonderful evening with great shopping bargains in our local businesses and a fabulous opportunity to relax and enjoy a night out with other friends and families.

16 shops in 4 hours. Discounts & Special Offers. Tickets $25.

Starting at Growmaster and finishing at Dal Mondo for a well-deserved drink & pizza (included in ticket price). You’ll visit participating local businesses: Aussie Disposals, Changing Seasons, Endota Spa, Intersport & Valley Surf, Jilly M, Miss Frou Frou, Panthers, Raue’s, Sportsland, Sugarbabies, The Feminine Touch, The Kitchen Cupboard, The Shoe Room, Toyworld, Traralgon News and Lotto.

Purchase tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/CEAJS

Put your walking shoes on and join us for an evening of fun, entertainment and shopping.

Madagascar – A Musical Adventure
Coming up very quickly in our calendar is our school musical which will be held on Tuesday 15 November. This year students will present ‘Madagascar – A Musical Adventure’. The excitement is building and rehearsals are well underway. Costume requirements have been sent home for each year level and Ms Kuyken has been working hard behind the scenes on sets and props. We can’t wait to see everyone stage.

There will be two performances on this day.

Matinee Performance 1:00 pm
Evening Performance 6:00 pm

Tickets are $16 per adult and can be purchased here: https://www.trybooking.com/CEAIM

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

NOVEMBER
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) Walking Shopping Tour

DECEMBER
1 December Whole School Swimming Carnival
2 December Christmas Celebration Evening
5 December Year 6 Excursion
6 December Year 6 Graduation
Prep to Year 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.

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

Dear Parents

There are a number of parents from local churches that have been keen to start up a prayer group at the school. You are welcome to attend our first prayer meeting together on Monday 7 November, from 9:00 am to 9:30 am in the Junior School Staff room.

We hope the group encompasses people both very comfortable with praying, as well as those newer to praying with others. Young children are welcome to attend with you. If you have any questions, or would like to be part of the group but are unable to attend this first meeting, then please email me at gtreble@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au. We will have a second prayer meeting on Monday 28 November to finish the year. The time will be used to pray for our school, but will also allow for connection between parents.

Kind Regards

Glen Treble
Chaplain, Traralgon Campus

Class Updates

ELC
To celebrate ‘Children’s week’ at St Pauls ELC the Joey’ 3-year-old group invited our Grandparents and special people into kinder for a play. The theme for ‘Children’s week’ was: ‘All children have the right to a standard of living that supports their wellbeing and healthy development’, Grandparents play such an important role in children’s lives and their healthy development, particularly in the early years. Some of the children’s words: What was your favourite part about the special person/Grandparents Day?

Morgan: ‘Playing with my Nan and Pop, Grannie and Opa and Lilli’.
Blair: ‘I liked playing with my Pa’
Marley May: ‘EVERYTHING!’
Lucy: ‘Playing Monster trucks’
Pippa: ‘I liked Nanny Carol and Bo Bo to come here, I miss them.’
Ava: ‘showing my Pop and Nan around’
Luca: ‘I like playing with Nanny and Poppy and Nanny and Nonno’
Annie: ‘Playing outside with them’
Toby: ‘Showing Nan around.’
‘Grandparents hold our hands for a little while, but our hearts forever’.

Prep
What an exciting time has been had in the Prep classrooms. Two weeks of successful swimming has been completed. Students have also participated in the ‘Arts Showcase’ where they remembered, recited and performed the poem ‘Now I am Six’ by A.A Milne. Students certainly had to follow the Play is the Way Life Rafts and be brave, sensible and treat each other with kindness whilst working with others to perform together. The Prep teachers might be a little biased, but we think it was a show stopper and the students can be very proud of their efforts on the night! In the classroom we are reviewing all concepts and starting to think about Year 1. The next few weeks are very exciting as we wind down (or is it up?) to the end of the year.

Year 1
Year 1 students had been very excited in the lead-up to our Arts Showcase, practising daily and ensuring everyone knew the actions. On the night there were lots of nervous faces, after students saw just how many chairs were set up in the gym. Students enjoyed showing families their artwork that was on display, and they were finally ready for showtime. Every student performed their best and it was a delight to see all their hard work being rewarded.

We have also continued our investigation into waste, with students sorting waste into the following bin categories: general waste, recycling, green waste, compost and soft plastics. Students were then required to tally how many items were in each bin, before finally creating a graph to demonstrate the results.

Year 2
Last week, Year 2 students enjoyed an incursion from Gippsland Water. Natalie and Sarah explained the urban water cycle and how it impacts us, particularly in our area.

The Year 2 students also learned about filtration and then had a go at filtering some unclean water in small groups. It was challenging, however the Year 2 students persisted!

We acknowledged ‘Day for Daniel’ and the importance of safety and having a safety network to go to when we begin to feel unsafe. The Year 2 students have been encouraged to talk to the adults on their safety network and explain why they are on there and how to help them if they feel unsafe.

How could we forget the first Art Showcase!? What a fun night! We all enjoyed viewing the beautiful visual artworks created by our students. The Year 2 students worked hard and performed “The Worm That Wouldn’t Wiggle” with gusto!

Ms Olivier and Mrs Sellings are very proud of their efforts. We look forward to the upcoming sleepover!

Year 4
Year 4 students had a great night at the Arts Showcase showing off their artwork to their friends and family. One of the highlights was finally getting to recite ‘The Tummy Beast’ by Roald Dahl to an audience and coming off the stage feeling elated and proud. Another highlight was seeing the individual performances from the Years 5 and 6 students. Many of the Year 4 students were inspired by their efforts and would like to take up the opportunity to do the same next year. In our integrated unit of work, we have investigated the history of plastic. Students created sketch notes from information given and then wrote a summary of the relatively short history of plastic. In our ‘Play Is The Way’ sessions we have focused on pursuing our personal best regardless of who we work with and how to show care and respect to the people in our class.

Year 5
After months of rehearsal, we performed our class poem at the Arts Showcase and enjoyed showing our artwork to our friends and family. Many students also performed an individual poem on the night which allowed them to work towards their goal of speaking confidently in front of an unfamiliar audience.

Year 5 students participated in the ‘Day for Daniel’ to raise awareness and learn about child safety. The key message is to encourage children to recognise, react and report if they ever feel unsafe. We developed a clear understanding of the difference between bullying and people being mean or unkind. It was great to see so many Year 5 students wearing red as it links with Daniel’s story to bring awareness and importance of safety education.

Students have formed partnerships for Market Day and spent lots of time researching and planning for possible product ideas. Partners have been collecting resources needed and are busily preparing their products to sell on the day.

Year 6
The past couple of weeks have certainly been filled with plenty of experiences and learning for our Year 6 students.

We have participated in Relay For Life and led the school walking throughout the school day, only to then continue on into the evening. It was a day filled with smiles, tears, laughs, stories and plenty of shared emotions. The students are to be congratulated on the way they participated and considered the purpose of the day. Thank you to the Prep to Year 5 students who joined us throughout the day, the other staff who participated in a number of laps after school had finished for the day and parents who joined and supported as our student’s energy levels were dropping.

Our students were very proud of their work both on stage and on display at the Arts Showcase and were eager to be artists on show, but also to peruse the gallery and admire what others had achieved. Thank you to all who supported the evening and the students in their preparation at home, no doubt hearing many rehearsals over the past few weeks.

Within the classroom we have done many rehearsals of our poems with a focus on delivering the messages with subtle changes in tone and speed. We also completed an activity where students needed to be brave and share their thoughts around others and what springs to mind to them – in a positive way. Students have then collated these words, which were shared anonymously, and have developed posters which will be a keepsake for them to reflect upon in the future – we will also be displaying these at our Graduation Dinner. We have refined our application of formulas to solve perimeter and area, exploring rectangles and squares, compound shapes, triangles and circles.

Our attention now turns to Purple Day, the Musical and Graduation. On Purple Day our students will be running activities for the rest of the Junior School to raise further funds for the Cancer Council. We have also started reflecting on our time in the Junior School, ready to share stories, photos and emotions as we move closer to the end of one journey, ready to begin another one.

SPORTS WRAP

Over the last week of Term 3 and first two weeks of Term 4 we participated in multiple interschool sports events. Here is a brief summary of each event.

Latrobe Valley Division Track and Field Carnival
Eleven students competed at the Joe Carmody Athletics Track in Newborough. Congratulations to all students on their efforts and behaviour on the day.

LV Division Aths Results
Ilias Clavarino – 9/10 Boys – Triple Jump – 6.27m – Fifth Place
William Lambert – 9/10 Boys – 800m – 2:54.33 – First Place
Evelyn Brady – 9/10 Girls – Discus – 10.72m – Seventh Place
David Ogabiela – 11 Boys – Long Jump – 3.86m – Second Place, Triple Jump – 8.01m – First Place
Mason Chan – 11 Boys – Discus – 15.84m – Fifth Place
Ryan Stockil – 11 Boys – Discus – 16.25m – Fourth Place
Gracie Hasthorpe – 11 Girls – 800m – 3:10.08 – Fourth Place, 1500m – 6:22.31 – Second Place
Isaiah Clavarino – 12/13 Boys – 1500m – 6:23.84 – Second Place
Jack Riddle – 12/13 Boys – Shot Put – 10.36m – First Place, High Jump – 1.40m – First Place
Aeva Haley – 12/13 Girls – Long Jump – 3.51m – Third Place, Triple Jump – 7.96m – First Place

AFLX Gala Day
Four teams totaling 33 students participated in the AFLX Gala Day at Moe Racecourse.

Year 3/4 Girls AFLX Team.

Year 5/6 Boys AFLX Team.

All four teams tried their best and improved as the day went on. Our Year 3/4 boys team made it into the Semi Finals where they squared off against the St Paul’s Warragul team. The scores were close at half time but our boys managed to kick away in the second half securing a grand final position. In the grand final we played against a strong team from Mirboo North Primary School. The scoreboard had us slightly ahead going into halftime but three late goals in the second half to Mirboo North gave them the win. Well done to our boys on gelling well together despite playing for different football teams outside of school. All students enjoyed their first experience of AFLX and look forward to playing it again in the future.

Gippsland Region Track and Field Carnival
Five of our students again travelled to Joe Carmody Aths Track to compete against students from all over Gippsland in the Region Track and Field Carnival. Students noted the huge jump in skill level at this level compared to Division Track and Field. The students supported each other throughout the day and it was great to see them cheering on their friends and celebrating each other’s efforts. Well done to David Ogabiela on finishing in first place in the 11 Boys Triple Jump qualifying for the State Track and Field Carnival. Wish David the best of luck in Melbourne.

David Ogabiela long jumping.

David Ogabiela Gippsland 11 Boys Triple Jump Champion.

Gippsland Region Aths Results
William Lambert – 9/10 Boys – 800m – Ninth Place
David Ogabiela – 11 Boys – Long Jump – 3.64m – Sixth Place, Triple Jump – 8.78m – First Place
Gracie Hasthorpe – 11 Girls – 1500m – Fifth Place
Isaiah Clavarino – 12/13 Boys – 1500m – Twelfth Place
Aeva Haley – 12/13 Girls – Long Jump – 3.26m – Twelfth Place, Triple Jump – 8.06m – Fourth Place
Billy Rilen
Physical Education and Sport Teacher

REGION HOT SHOTS TENNIS

On Thursday 20 October a team of nine students participated in the Gippsland Region Hot Shot Tennis Championship at the Traralgon Tennis Club. Our students played matches against teams from Traralgon, Newborough, Moe, Drouin and Garfield. The students played with respectful conduct and displayed the skills they had been practising during lunchtimes over the past few weeks. We won our first three matches before coming up against St Kieran’s who had just drawn their match against Garfield meaning both sides remained undefeated. Our students took out the match winning 9 sets to 3 setting up a final round match with Garfield with the winner to be named champion. It was a hard fought match with multiple sets being decided by a point or two. Our student held their nerve and won their final match 8 sets to 4, claiming the Gippsland Region Hot Shots Tennis Championship. Congratulations to Eshan, Nand, Siena, Stella, Ryan, Jack, Will and Bailey who have qualified for the State Hot Shots Tennis Championship to be played at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club on Monday 21 November. Good luck to all students involved, what an amazing achievement and enjoy the experience of playing State level sport.

Stella serving.

Eshan with a backhand volley.

Stella and Ryan in action.

2022 Gippsland Region Hot Shots Tennis Champions.

Full Results
St Paul’s 12 versus Newborough Primary School 0
St Paul’s 12 versus Stockdale Road Primary School 0
St Paul’s 10 versus St Ita’s Primary School Drouin 2
St Paul’s 9 versus St Kieran’s Primary School Moe 3
St Paul’s 8 versus Garfield Primary School 4

Billy Rilen
Physical Education and Sport Teacher

GRAPHIC NOVELS

This week in the library the Years 4 to 6 students have been delving into the world of Graphic Novels. Learning the difference between a Graphic Novel and a Comic Book as well as all the features of one, as well as learning how to differentiate between a Graphic Novel and manga (Japanese Graphic Novel).

Year 5 students annotated work describing graphic novel features.

The students shared their understandings by annotating a printout of a Graphic Novel layout, marking out all of the features.

Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

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!

Grammarian Issue 16, 4 November 2022

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

Retrieval and recall for examination success
Examinations are once again on the horizon for our Years 9 and 10 students as the final reportable assessments for the year approach and the pressure of assessment and deadlines create a certain tension for students, parents, guardians and staff alike. At a recent conference with Dr Dylan Wiliam Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment, it was once again reinforced to the delegates, that the best way for students to learn and recall content is to undertake practice tests and practice examinations. Dr Wiliam reiterated that to moving memory from short-term to long-term memory through repeated recall is the most effective method for effective study. He further explained that our brains are like filing cabinets and if we do not need a memory, it is filed in a bottom drawer, it does not disappear as we might believe, it just waits for the moment of recall. Pleasingly, our students love teaching each other to revise content, completing practice tests/examinations and producing their own Kahoots/Quizlets. There is no doubt that all of these techniques assist them to recall information and cement vast quantities of content into their long-term memories ready to access the filing cabinet drawer and retrieve the information during the test or examination.

It is widely accepted that there are two components to effective revision to assist students to prepare.

Spaced Practice
Rather than cramming for a test the day or night before, it is far more effective to space the practice over weeks and days to assist with the transference of knowledge to the long-term memory. These are individually scheduled study sessions to which the student adheres, and which assist with the recall and retrieval of information.

Retrieval Practice
Retrieval practice is the completion of practice examinations, quizzes, and tests. The retrieval of content assists with committing the information to memory allowing the retrieval to occur far more easily when in a pressured environment such as an examination.

While retrieving and recalling content is vital to academic success, students must also take time to care for themselves during this period by exercising regularly, eating nutritious meals and adhering to sensible sleep routines. It is also advised that they set up a study space that is clear of distractions, including the management of devices by popping them on do not disturb or even putting them away for the scheduled study session to minimize distractions to the revision period they have set aside.

We know that each time a student is interrupted, it can take up to ten minutes to regain the necessary flow and optimal productivity for learning, therefore taking the time to ensure that the session is constructive is particularly worthwhile.

Our Director of Studies Mr Chris Ambrozy has outlined the arrangements for examinations below, as well as the preparation of materials and equipment to assist students to be organised to perform at their best during this period.

Please reduce your speed to 10 km/h in the carpark
We gently and respectfully remind our families that the speed in the carpark is only ten kilometers per hour, which is actually a very slow speed indeed. Our Secondary School crossing is in the bowl of the horseshoe and if cars progress through the horseshoe too quickly, students and staff on the crossing may be difficult to see. Wherever there are vehicles and cars there is the potential for a tragedy, and we must all take care to ensure that all of our precious children are safe at all times. Please take care in the carpark as we do not want an accident to occur that could easily have been avoided.

COVID-19 reminder
This is a reminder to families to please continue to notify the school if your child tests positive for COVID-19 or is a known household contact. We are still required to record cases and we also want to be able to identify if a cluster of cases emerge, so we can communicate that information to our families. We still strongly recommend that students wear a mask whilst indoors at school and use the hand sanitiser available to them. The school has a supply of RATs available to families who need additional. Please encourage your children to remain vigilant when it comes to protecting themselves from COVID-19 infection.

Sixteen shops in four hours. Discounts and Special Offers. Tickets $25

Starting at Growmaster and finishing at Dal Mondo for a well-deserved drink and pizza (included in the ticket price). You will visit participating local businesses: Aussie Disposals, Changing Seasons, Endota Spa, Intersport & Valley Surf, Jilly M, Miss Frou Frou, Panthers, Raue’s, Sportsland, Sugarbabies, The Feminine Touch, The Kitchen Cupboard, The Shoe Room, Toyworld, Traralgon News and Lotto.

Purchase tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/CEAJS

Put your walking shoes on and join us for an evening of fun, entertainment and shopping.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School