In this issue

• Chaplain’s Chat
• VCAA Exam Marking
• Track and Field Results
• Friends of St Paul’s Notice

Grammarian Issue 17, 18 November 2022

Traralgon Junior School

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

Junior School Musical
Entertaining, impressive and enjoyable! Just a few words to describe our Junior School Musical: Madagascar A Musical Adventure. All of our students did a marvellous job; whether they were performing or part of the backstage crew, everyone contributed and worked as a team to produce a fabulous musical production. Huge congratulations to our Year 6 students who impressed us with their confidence, courage and sense of humour as they narrated and shared the story of Madagascar. Each class performed their song well and although there were a few nervous feelings, it was really lovely to see smiles and growing confidence on the faces of our younger students. The musical was a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their singing, drama and speaking skills and it was terrific to see so many of them enjoying themselves, being brave and actively participating.

Many thanks to Ms Dianne Kuyken for her work with our students to prepare them for the show and for her behind-the-scenes efforts with costumes, sets and music. Many thanks also to Mr Nathan Byrne for his contributions to sound and lighting. I hope families enjoyed the performances just as much as the students enjoyed performing.
Relay For Life and Purple Day
Our Year 6 students have been busy this term organising and hosting ’Relay for Life and ‘Purple Day’ with the intention of raising funds and building awareness of cancer.

Our annual Relay for Life event involved students walking in teams from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm. They did a marvellous job and although tired with sore legs and feet were able to complete the relay and finish the evening celebrating their hard work. A pizza dinner and plenty of water helped to keep their motivation high. Students were incredibly generous towards each other and were supportive and encouraging to ensure their day was successful and meaningful. There were many memories shared, some tears shed for the loss of loved ones and many stories of hope to inspire.

Purple Day created a lot of excitement in the gardens at recess and lunch with the entire school eager to be involved in activities and dressing up in purple. Our Year 6 students gave considerable effort and energy to ensure their activities were worthwhile and attractive to younger students. There were many wonderful activities, however the ‘throw a sponge at a teacher’ seemed to attract a large crowd.

With the help of the entire Junior School community, students successfully raised $3,572.10 with their efforts for Relay for Life and Purple Day. A fabulous effort by all involved! Congratulations to all of our Year 6 students. A huge thank you to teachers for their contributions and active involvement in supporting students and a very big thank you to our families and local community for their support.

Robotics
Teachers recently spent the afternoon exploring our new Ozobots and Sphero bots and it has been fantastic to see students engaging with this new equipment in classrooms.

The Ozobot is the tiny programmable robot that can be used from primary school through to university, enabling students to develop coding and computational thinking skills. The Ozobots use optical sensors to recognise lines and colour and are a simple start to coding by drawing. From simple to complex, Ozobots are fun and challenging for our students.

Sphero is an adorable, durable, interactive — you guessed it — sphere that is controlled by smart devices. Its size is deceiving; although small, its functionality is almost boundless. Sphero has a programmable 8×8 LED matrix, so students can code it to change colours when Sphero rolls, stops or starts, reaches a goal, or whenever else they would like.

The Draw Canvas, a part of the Sphero app, is a perfect introduction to programming. Students are challenged to think about the different steps that go into programming a robot while taking into consideration the robot’s restrictions. Students utilise block coding which means they are not typing out code by hand, which can be complicated for younger students, but rather drag visual blocks into the coding area and connect them. This is an invaluable stepping stone; an understanding of the logic of programming concepts that proves essential to writing out code later on when they’re ready to move to more complex coding.

We can not wait to see how students (and teachers) progress with their skills using the new robots.
Congratulations to David!
Huge congratulations to David Ogabiela who competed at the State Athletics Championships last week. David competed in the 11 Boys Triple Jump and achieved personal best scores with each jump. He finished in 7th Place with a personal best of 8.89m. What an amazing achievement!

Well done to our Year 1 students
A group of eager Year 1 students were recently found in the library researching endangered animals and making plans to take some action to help the environment. This week this group of kind and generous little people have hosted a special lunchtime activity selling handmade colouring in sheets. They have been very successful in raising over $28.00 which will be donated to support the protection and survival of the Helmeted Honey Eater an endangered bird. Congratulations to Ashley Pease, Laini Burslem, Ariana Clavarino, Meeva Maria Shinu, Grace Daley and Isla Steevens for their wonderful initiative and efforts.

Remembrance Day
Students acknowledged Remembrance Day along with Secondary School students last Friday. The stormy weather thwarted plans to be outside however we continued on and our service was held in the gym. School Leaders, Isabella Slocombe and Araan Patel, represented the Junior School. Students participated in a range of activities throughout the day to help develop their understanding of the importance of the day and to acknowledge those who have fallen at war.

Junior School Chapel
Chapel is run every Monday at the Traralgon Junior School. Chapel involves singing, media, prayers, readings and a Bible talk. This week we had a visitor at Chapel which took some students by surprise. We have been reflecting on our amazing world this term. The main message from this week was how gorillas have a unique ‘nose print’ and this helped us think about how God cares for us as unique individuals. God even knows the number of hairs on our head! Feel free to talk to your child about Chapel each week or come and talk to our Chaplain, Glen Treble, if you would like to know more details.

This month on SchoolTV – Bullying
Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Despite the efforts made to reduce bullying behaviours, the research tells us that one in four students still report being bullied every few weeks. However, not all negative behaviour should be considered bullying. The key difference is that bullying does not stop on its own. It is important young people learn how to identify behaviours that are rude, behaviours that are mean, and behaviours that are related to bullying.

Often the reasons for bullying can be complex. Some young people do it to get approval from others, some do it to regain control, whilst others may do it because it makes them feel safe. Supporting young people as they work through their emotions will help them unpack the motivation and reason behind the behaviour.

In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers can better understand why some young people engage in bullying behaviours and what to do to support a child experiencing it. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact your child’s teacher or a member of our leadership team for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month’s edition: https://stpaulsags.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/bullying
Final Events of 2022
As we head into the final weeks of term, students and teachers will be celebrating their achievements of the 2022 year and will begin preparing for the new year head. There are a few events to be enjoyed and I encourage parents to join us in acknowledging and celebrating a successful year.

Years 5 and 6 Endeavour Expo will be held on Thursday 24 November starting at 2:30 pm in the library. Students will share their Semester 2 Endeavour learnings with our school community. Families are most welcome to attend.

Step Up and Orientation Day. In preparation for the 2023 school year, students will spend time engaging in activities designed to build relationships and confidence and set expectations with their new class groups. These activities will take place Monday 28 to Wednesday 30 November.

Whole School Swimming Carnival is scheduled for Thursday 1 December. Students will travel by bus to the Gippsland Aquatic Centre for a day of races and novelty events. Parents are welcome to spectate.

Christmas Celebration Evening will be held on Friday 2 December. This will be a relaxed evening and families are encouraged to attend and enjoy a picnic dinner at the Junior School whilst enjoying some Christmas Carols and musical performances. The Writing Challenge Book Launch will also happen this evening and students will receive their published book of narratives.

Presentation Assembly will take place on Wednesday 7 December in the gymnasium. Families are most welcome to attend our final event for the year.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

NOVEMBER
18 November Student Free Day
21 November State Hot Shot Tennis
22 November School Nursing Program Visit (Prep Students Only)
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 HOLIDAY 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,

We recently held a parent prayer meeting on campus, which was really appreciated by those in attendance. You are welcome to attend our next prayer meeting on Monday 28 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 the meeting, then please email me at gtreble@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au. We will meet monthly in the new year. Stay tuned for which day of the week this will be. The prayer 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

Preps
The Preps have continued to decode a variety of words and in the last few weeks, we have been looking at words with the following sounds- ‘oy’, ‘ou’, ‘oi’, ‘aw’ and ‘wr’. We have been reflecting on different events that have been happening in Term 4 and forming sentences using our sound knowledge and knowledge of high frequency words.

In Mathematics we have been reviewing our place value knowledge to read and record two digit numbers as well as adding two numbers together to find the total.

Our Humanities’ focus for the last few weeks has been investigating the importance of different things living and how living things rely on each other to survive. Finally we have been learning the different aspects of being on stage and the important things to think about to entertain an audience.

The Prep teachers are incredibly proud of the musical performance this week, especially the way students strived to improve their singing and actions, knowing their special people were there to see them on the stage.
Year 1
What an eventful week we have had in Year 1! We have experienced gorilla appearances in Chapel, showed off our ‘cool moves’ in the musical and practised yoga during Sport. Despite all the special events Year 1 students have had, they have still worked hard with their learning. We focused on ‘ie’ and the two sounds this digraph makes, with our two keywords being ‘pie’ and ‘chief’. We learned about ‘reptile syllables’ and studied two syllable words with magic ‘e’.

In Maths students revised subtraction strategies and practised using these to solve equations. We spoke about sustainability and sustainable practices during our Waste Warrior lessons. We thank the Year 1 students for showing commitment, resilience, and flexibility this week. They should all be proud of their efforts.

Year 2
Year 2 students have had an exciting 2 weeks at school. We had a successful sleepover on Friday 4 November, where we enjoyed games, pizza and a movie together and everyone managed to get some sleep as well. This week has been full of excitement as we performed as zoo keepers in our school play, Madagascar. Our learning over the last few weeks has involved ordering and counting collections of money; telling analogue and digital time to the nearest quarter hour; editing, revising and up levelling our writing; learning about water scarcity and water stress; and identifying, defining and articulating new emotions.
Year 3
The Year 3 students had a fantastic time coding with the ‘Ozobots’ programmable robots. By creating their own track using unique coding patterns, the students directed their robot around the course and instructed it to complete various tasks along the way. The students could choose from turbo speed our snail pace and they could even make the robot spin. A highlight was using the robot like a bowling ball to knock over all of the pins.

Year 4
It has been a busy few weeks across the school. The Year 4 students have worked hard on their musical performance and they did a great job! We have dug in further with our integrated unit considering the manufacture of our clothing and how fast fashion impacts the planet. Students considered their own wardrobe and have assured us that they can wear a T-shirt twice and will ensure that they fold and put away their clothes so that they can get multiple wears!

In Maths, students have reviewed angles and financial Maths. They have begun to review calculating the area of compound shapes.

In ‘Play Is The Way’ we have continued to focus on how we can be in control of our emotions, not the other way around and how we ensure that the equipment that we are using does not act as a distraction. This focus has continued in the classroom and when we are in the yard.

Year 5
What a crazy few weeks it has been! Year 5 students can be extremely proud of the time and effort they put into preparing for the musical. Lots of hard work in rehearsing was required for the amazing performances on Tuesday.

In Maths, students have been revising factors and multiples. We have practised creating factor trees as a way of finding factors of a specific number as well as the prime factor. We have also explored efficient ways of calculating the area and perimeter of multiple rectangles using familiar units of measurement. We also challenged ourselves to investigate finding the area of different types of triangles.

Year 6
All of the hard work put in by the Year 6 students culminated last week with our annual ‘Purple Day’ fundraiser to raise money and awareness for cancer. Students were involved in a lengthy process that involved planning an activity or product to sell, marketing, creating and selling their product or activity. With the help of the entire Junior School community, we raised $2,572.10 to go along with almost $1,000 which was raised for Relay For Life last month. A fabulous effort by all involved!

Students then excitedly turned their attention to our ‘Madagascar’ Junior School Musical. Students had a great time looking forward to singing and dancing their way through a spectacular performance!

FRIENDS OF ST PAUL’S TRARALGON CAMPUS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) Annual General Meeting will occur on Tuesday 29 November 2022 in the Traralgon Campus Library commencing at 7:00 pm.

All FOSP members are invited to attend and we warmly welcome any other interested St Paul’s families to attend the AGM.

Myra Krafft our current FOSP President, who has been a powerhouse of support, has decided after much deliberation to step down from her role as President and we are seeking to endorse a new incumbent to the role of FOSP President in 2023 at the AGM.

Please consider attending the FOSP AGM on Tuesday 29 November at 7:00 pm.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

BECKETT FAMILY ROSE GARDEN

Our St Paul’s families will know what a magnificent rose garden we have in the loop between the Junior and Secondary Schools. The recent flush of blooms has been nothing short of spectacular. The beauty of the garden provides great joy to our community and the bunches of roses that migrate indoors make our common areas truly lovely.

What our school families may not know is how this beautiful garden eventuated. The garden was created by one of our school families, the Becketts, when the Secondary School was built and the loop was installed. Kathleen and Brian Beckett planted the rose garden from cuttings from their own garden and Kathleen even helped prune the roses for many years, once the plants were established.

We are very grateful to the Beckett family for their foresight in helping to make our school environment so beautiful and the entrance so noteworthy. If you are picking up or dropping off your children please take the time to walk among the roses and enjoy them. You will notice the plaque in the centre of the garden that attributes it to the Beckett family. On behalf of our entire community, we thank the Beckett family for their generosity in gifting us this magnificent garden. It is a truly lovely family legacy, and we are most grateful.

Donna Sweeney
Deputy Principal

LIBRARY BOOK FAIR

Last week the library was turned into a bookshop as the annual Book Fair was held. This generated a lot of buzz and excitement among the students who were keen to make their wish lists to bring home.

Year 6 students, Johanna Swanepoel and Ava Loechel, trying to narrow down their choices.

Parents also made their way to the library before and after school to purchase a new book or two.

A busy but happy week for the library and its staff.

Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

STATE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP

On Wednesday 2 November David Ogabiela took part in the State Track and Field Championships at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park. David competed against 16 students from all over Gippsland in the 11 year-old boys triple jump. In cold, windy, and sometimes wet conditions David set a new personal best with his first jump jumping 8.81m. He improved on this mark with his second jump, jumping 8.86m. David managed to break his personal best for the third time with his jump of 8.89m. This put David 7th place with the top eight competitors earning one more jump to beat their best. David did not beat his best jump with his final effort but still managed to secure 7th place in the event.

David running in for his first jump of the day.

David in flight setting his first of three personal bests for the day.

David setting a new personal best of 8.89m.

David and Mr Rilen at the State Track and Field Championships.

Congratulations David for not just making the State Championships but also for breaking your personal best three times (on the big stage) to finish 7th overall in Victoria. This is a huge achievement, and we are all very proud of your performance.

Billy Rilen
Sport and PE Teacher

LATROBE VALLEY DIVISION CRICKET BLAST

On Wednesday 9 November, four teams totalling 32 students participated in the Latrobe Valley Division Cricket Blast Event held at the Traralgon West Sports Complex. In hot sunny conditions, our students played matches against teams from Traralgon, Morwell, Moe, Newborough and Toongabbie.

In the Competitive Boy/Mixed section, our team won their first two pool matches before playing off against the also undefeated Stockdale Road team to see who would progress through to the division final. Stockdale Road bowled tightly not giving up many runs but our players put value on their wickets only giving up four wickets in their inning. This meant we would have to limit the opposition’s scoring whilst taking more wickets to earn bonus runs. We managed to take six wickets but unfortunately, we went down to the eventual division champions 101 to 62. The boys went down to a very competitive St Kieran’s team in the 3rd place final by 19 runs to finish 4th overall. In the Girls Competitive section, our team suffered two narrow losses to Stockdale Road 17 runs and the eventual division champions, St Gabriel’s, by 21 runs. In their final two matches, the girls managed to defeat both Grey Street by 22 runs and St Kieran’s by 43 runs. The girls finished 5th place overall. This is a fantastic effort considering only one of the girls plays cricket outside of school. In the social section, our two teams played four matches each and both teams enjoyed the day and improved with each match.

Fourth place for our Competitive Boys Team.

Liam sending down a good line and length delivery.

Cooper firing a thunderbolt down the pitch.

Fifth place for our Competitive Girls Team.

Social Mixed Team 1.

Well done to all students on their behaviour, respectful conduct and efforts on the day.

Billy Rilen
Sport and PE Teacher

HIGH TEA WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

I would like to say a big thank you to all the parents, staff and students who contributed to the success of our High Tea for Timor, as we made approximately $4,300. The afternoon had a fantastic vibe, with around 85 guests, including past and current staff and parents. We had 16 student helpers from Team Timor, who worked very hard and showcased to the community the quality of our students. Glen Treble and Nathan Byrne, with some help from Traralgon Secondary School jazz band members Nicholas Krafft-Murat and Heath Wilson, provided an amazing soundtrack to the event.

Madeleine and Layla worked hard on our Timor Team Stall.

Our first Team Timor Leader, Marilyn Davidson, with Traralgon Team Timor Captain, Sophia Hastie, Traralgon Leader Kirsten Enders and Warragul Leader, Andrea Heard.

Special thanks to the amazing Team Timor Captain Sophia Hastie, who initiated the event and worked hard to organise it and rally support from lots of local businesses. A big thank you to Team Timor members Ella May, Asha Nightingale, Kate Henne, Sienna Smith, Indi Van Berkel, Ananya Philips, Rheid Haley, Agatha Bantigue, Emma Cullen, Madeleine Minniti, Layla Graham, Elena Hu and Tharuja Vidanapathirana.

Thanks to staff Andrea Heard, Noriko Teranishi, Mikaela Petruccelli, Nathan Byrne, Glen Treble, Victoria Wilson, Sharon Pyle, Jennifer Witney, Leonie Clarke, and Sandra Timmer-Arends who all assisted in different ways, supervising in the kitchen, cooking up a storm, making cheese boards, taking photos, playing music and helping with the pack up.

Many thanks to local businesses who donated raffle prizes:

Harvey Norman Traralgon
Bunnings
Café Evviva
Coles
Elysian
Endota Spa
Food Co
Grow Master
Little Prince
The Shoe Room
The Steakhouse Traralgon
Zambrero
Rachel Petruccelli Suds n Swirl’s Soaps
Van Berkel Wholesale Nursery

Kirsten Enders
Team Timor Leader

Grammarian Issue 17, 18 November 2022

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

‘Community Makes The Difference’
There is a generosity of spirit that envelopes our Secondary School in its entirety. It is a difficult ambience to articulate and describe in a Grammarian article, but there is certainly an essence and atmosphere that wraps around everyone who is a member of our St Paul’s family and Traralgon Secondary School. Its genesis lies within our school’s values of wisdom, integrity, compassion and respect upon which our school culture is built, as well as the superb team of staff who support each other to bring out the very best in each other, every day for the benefit of our students’ personal growth and development. It is certainly contagious and there is no doubt that our students cannot help but become swept up in the wave of kindness.

On Sunday 6 November, over 85 guests gathered at the Traralgon Tennis Club for a High Tea to build school buildings in a tiny village called Ponilala, East Timor. Sophia Hastie, East Timor Captain and Year 10 student, had an idea to bring the community together for a fundraiser and it finally became a reality. Numerous parents, staff and students supported her vision and were delighted to see it eventuate into the most perfect afternoon at the Traralgon Tennis club. It only took an idea and the sharing of a vision with Ms Enders to generate an enormous ground swell and that is exactly what occurred. Many Year 10 students and Year 7 students also joined the outpouring of compassion and gave their time to bake, serve and be present for the afternoon. Our extended St Paul’s family once again baked, decorated, staffed the kitchen, provided music and big-heartedly supported the impressive event.

The afternoon was ‘joyful’, not only because it was the innovation of one of our students and raised an impressive sum of money for Ponilala, but because it was extraordinarily uplifting for a school event to be the impetus for a much-needed and well-timed connection and reconnection of so many Traralgon families.

Remembrance Day
“On 11 November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after four years of continuous warfare. With their armies retreating and close to collapse, German leaders signed an Armistice, bringing to an end the First World War.’ (https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/remembrance-day)

With appropriate reverence our students acknowledged the service of both men and women at the Remembrance Day service. After a quick change of location due to the unpredictable weather, the students ran the entire service from beginning to end and did so with respect and compassion for the significance of the service. Many thanks are extended not only to our Student Representative Council but also to Mr Glen Treble, Ms Maddison Scott and Mr Nathan Byrne for their work behind the scenes to support the students to professionally present on the day.

Significant moments for our Year 10 students and families
As we draw closer to the end of the 2022 academic year, there are some significant events for our Year 10 students and families. The first of which will be the Year 10 Celebration Evening on Friday 18 November, as we come together to wish our current Year 10 students all the very best as they transition to the next step in their education for Early Commencement at our Warragul Campus. We look forward to formally celebrating and farewelling our Year 10 cohort at the Traralgon Secondary School Presentation Assembly on Wednesday 7 December at 9:30 am in the Traralgon Campus gymnasium. We look forward to welcoming parents and families to these two events and wish our Year 10 students and their families all the very best as they embark on their Years 11 and 12 studies. It certainly will be an exciting time when our current Year 7 cohort remains at the Traralgon Secondary School, commencing 2026 with Year 11.

Presentation Assembly Traralgon Secondary School
All families are warmly invited to attend the 2022 Traralgon Secondary School Presentation Assembly in the Traralgon Campus Gymnasium on Wednesday 7 December commencing at 9:30 am. We look forward to celebrating the close of the academic school year for all of our students. In order to provide adequate seating at this event we do ask that you RSVP to Maddison Scott or Kerryn Doble via 5175 9222 or email mscott@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

Maroon Jumper Phase Out
The School made the decision to phase out the maroon jumper a number of years ago. At the time, our Years 7 to 9 students wore the maroon jumper and our Years 10 to 12 students wore the blue jumper. In order to simplify our uniform and reduce the cost for our families, the decision was made to phase out the maroon jumper. We have made a note of this in the diary each year as well as in the uniform policy and periodically in the Grammarian. This was a planned phase out and 2022 is the last year of the maroon jumpers. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to a more simplified uniform in 2023.

This month on SchoolTV — Bullying
Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

If you do 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/bullying

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School