In this issue

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mr Brad McCabe.

All the best Year 10 students
I would like to take this opportunity to wish our Year 10 students all the best as they transition to their final years of schooling at the Warragul Campus. It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet new students and establish more friendships. I know their Year 11 teachers and the pastoral team will be looking forward to having the Traralgon students join them.

ICAS Awards
On 11 November three secondary school students were presented with ICAS awards. The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, ICAS for short, is an independent skill-based assessment program. ICAS recognises and rewards student achievement in areas such as English, Maths, Science, Spelling, Writing and Digital Technologies. A small selection of students were asked to participate in ICAS as part of extending their learning. Students with top scores in each subject area are awarded certificates. I would like to congratulate the three Year 8 students who received an ICAS award Asmi Pathania, Pragnya Pasupuleti and Mitchell Rong.

Remembrance Day Service
During the morning of 11 November, the Secondary School conducted a Remembrance Service. It was a very special service where all students and staff paused to reflect and remember all Service Men and Women. Our School Captains spoke to the School and led the Remembrance Service that concluded with the Ode. Here is what they said:

“At 11:00 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted the allied terms of unconditional surrender

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over seventy million people and left between nine and thirteen million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead and called it Armistice Day.

After the end of the Second World War, the Australian and British governments changed the name to Remembrance Day. Armistice Day was no longer an appropriate title for a day which would commemorate all war dead. Today we continue in that tradition as we not only commemorate those who died in past conflicts, but we also think of our Defence Force members presently serving on active operations in various parts of the world.”

The Ode
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Student Free Day and Early Commencement
Friday 19 November is a student free day as our teaching staff will finalise the 2021 results and plan for Early Commencement that will start on Monday 22 November. In Early Commencement, all students will transition to the next year level. Whilst we do our best to match 2022 teachers to their classes, this is sometimes not always practicable. Early Commencement presents an opportunity for students to commence their next year before the year concludes, helping to give students a head start in their learning.

Student Classes
Please note that every endeavour has been made to ensure your child is happy with their class allocation. Each student has had an opportunity to make friendship requests and this will be considered. I am sure you appreciate that there are many factors that are considered when placing students in class groups. It is important that for each year the class groups of mixed as research indicated that meeting and working with new people helps contribute to student’s growth and learning. It is also important to note that the school size is relatively small and children have multiple opportunities to catch up during recess, lunch, electives classes, chapel and sport.

Presentation Assembly 2021
Under the current restrictions, we are unable to have parents and visitors join the School for our annual Presentation Assembly, which is scheduled for 9:30 am on Wednesday 8 December.

All Traralgon Secondary students are required to attend the Presentation Assembly in formal school uniform. Following the assembly, an alternative program will be conducted which will include student activities and pastoral time.

Brad McCabe
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

NOVEMBER
22 to 26 November  Early Commencement, 2022 Years 8 to 12

DECEMBER
7 December   Run for East Timor
8 December  Presentation Assembly, 9:30 am
End of Term 4, 3:10 pm finish

* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.

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.

THANK YOU

This term, Team Timor was able to raise almost $500 through Timor Flowers and the school SRC raised $265 on a casual clothes day. I am extremely proud of Team Timor’s efforts throughout the year and I congratulate each member on their motivating efforts. These funds will be used to build a new English Language Centre classroom in Malimea Village, Timor-Leste to provide disadvantaged children with the gift of English language education and unlock more opportunities for them in their futures. I hope that the current members of Team Timor, from Years 7 to 9, will stay in the club next year and continue to raise funds for this incredibly deserving project. I sincerely wish everyone all the best. I hope to see all students at the Run for East Timor on Tuesday 7 December.

Ava Carruthers
2021 Team Timor Captain

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

The finish of the 2021 school year is just around the corner and what a year it has been! While our focus has been settling back into classroom routines and keeping special events to a minimum, I am pleased that at this stage, we are able to offer our students some of our regular activities during the final weeks of Term 4. I again share my appreciation for the vigilant approach families are taking to keep our school community safe by following all regulations and by keeping your child home when they are unwell.

We will be holding our Book Fair next week which will include a Book Character Dress Up day on Tuesday for all Prep to Year 6 students. The Year 4 students will enjoy an excursion on Monday to the West Gippsland Arts Centre, while our Year 3 students head off to camp next Wednesday. The 2022 Preps will enjoy their final transition session next Friday.

Planned activities: 2022 Year 7 Orientation (Monday 29 November to Wednesday 1 December), 2022 Years 1 to 6 Orientation Day (Tuesday 30 November), Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival (Thursday 2 December) and Years 3, 4 and 5 swimming trials taking place on Friday 3 December.

During the final week of term, the Year 6 students will enjoy their Year 6 Dinner on Monday 6 December while all classes will enjoy a range of end of year activities on Tuesday 7 December. Our Presentation Assembly will be held in the Secondary School Gymnasium on our final day for 2021, Wednesday 8 December, commencing at 9:30 am. We are waiting for any changes to regulations and more information about this assembly will be communicated to families soon.

Remembrance Day: Whilst we could not meet as a whole campus as we usually would, our Year 6 students worked extremely hard with Mr Barkla to put together a Remembrance Day service for the Junior School classes. All students were given a poppy to wear. Our Junior School Captains, Isabel and Eli, attended a service in the township with Deputy Principal, Ms Sweeney.

2022 Orientation Program: Our Prep to Year 5 students will spend time with their 2022 teacher and class on Tuesday 30 November. Students will go to their 2021 classroom as normal when they arrive where they will be told their 2022 class and then move to their new classroom at 9:15 am. They will then spend the full day with their 2022 teacher and new classmates. 2022 class lists will be sent home with students on this day. All 2022 Years 5 and 6 classes will have Sport during the day so they should wear their sports uniform to school on this day.

End of Year Reports: Will be available for families to view on MyStPauls on Friday 3 December. Information on how to access these will be emailed to families.

2022 Junior School Leaders: Our 2022 Junior School Leaders will be announced on Monday 29 November, and I would like to congratulate all the Year 5 students for applying for a leadership position. My thanks to Mr Barkla and Mrs Leighton for overseeing the process this year. An official handover from our current Year 6 students will take place at our Presentation Assembly on Wednesday 8 December.

Discord: I would like to draw parents’ attention to a fairly new social media app called Discord that is becoming a growing area of student interest. Some ‘talking points’ have been developed and I have included these below for families who would like to know more about this new platform.

Looking forward to a wonderful final few weeks of term.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON

NOVEMBER
22 to 26 November  Book Fair (running with modifications)
23 November  Book Week Dress Up Day
24 to 26 November  Year 3 Camp – Merricks Lodge
26 November  Prep 2022 Transition Day #4
29 November to 1 December  Year 7 2022 Orientation Program
30 November  Years 1 to 6 2022 Orientation Day

DECEMBER
2 December  Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival (running, students in class groups, no adult spectators)
3 December  Year 2 Sleepover
Years 3, 4 and 5 Swim Trials
6 December  Parent Prayer Group, Prideaux Centre, 9:00 am
Year 6 Dinner, Secondary School Gymnasium, 5:30 pm
8 December  Presentation Assembly
Last day of school for 2021
9 to 23 December  Clubhouse Bootcamp

JANUARY 2022
10 to 28 January  Clubhouse Bootcamp

FEBRUARY 2022
1 February  Term 1 Commences

* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.

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.

Discord talking points

Discord is a phone or laptop app that is designed to facilitate communication through text, images, voice and video and allows users to create groups (servers) that can be joined by other friends and even total strangers from around the world.

Users can also search pre-existing groups created by others and join them as well.

Discord is different to traditional social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram as real-time interactions between groups via video is more common rather than one on one communication between those with an established profile. It also has some features similar to old-style forums, Reddit or YouTube streaming, but with a focus on instant group communication that can then become one-on-one messaging.

Discord allows accounts to be created if you are thirteen or older with just an email address and entering their age and thus discord accounts are not tied to your real-life identity and are generally anonymous.

Anyone can create a discord server which can either be set to private (invite only) or public access. The discord server is then moderated by the owner of the server as well as individuals which the owner chooses to be moderators. Within the server is then created channels which people can then communicate in using text as well as images and videos. Links can also be posted in these text channels.

Voice channels can also be created which people can join to talk with each other over a headset as well as stream their own computer screen to others. Generally, channels are open to the entire server and act as a social media forum where people can post and have discussions. Public discord servers can range from ten to twenty accounts in one to over 500,000 in others.

There are millions of public discord servers that people can join. Discord servers generally have a topic that the server is associated with which conversation revolves around (a particular game, a particular political ideology, a particular region of the world, a particular person etc.).

Some discord servers have channels that are branded NSFW (not safe for work 18+). On entering these channels, you are presented with a warning message which asks to confirm you are 18 but you can easily lie. Any non-illegal content can be posted on NSFW channels. There are discord servers that are entirely dedicated to NSFW content.

Discord also has a friend’s system in which you can add any other account you meet as a friend. Once they are your friend you can send DMs (direct messages) to each other which no one else can see. You can also send images and links through DMs and also join a voice chat with the person. NSFW content is allowed in DMs.

Discord in the past has been generally associated with the video game community but as Facebook falls out of favour for younger people, Discord is becoming more accepted as a general social media platform for younger people. If you join the larger servers in discord, you will be exposed to accounts created by people from all over the world and from all ages. There is no way to verify who these people are unless they tell you personally.

Discord can potentially become addictive for some teenagers while as with many other internet technologies facilitates the search and discovery of unsavoury material and individuals.

From the Head of Warragul Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark.

CELEBRATION, COMMUNITY AND CONGRATULATIONS
As I write this week’s Grammarian article, we are working very hard behind the scenes to put the final arrangements in place for what we hope will be a glittering evening for our Year 12 students at their Valedictory Celebration. In another interesting year, we are thrilled to be able to celebrate with both our students and their families. The evening will commence in an outdoor marquee at the Year 7 Centre where our students will be formally recognised in front of their families. Their years of contribution to St Paul’s will be celebrated with a final roll call, they will be presented with their graduation certificates and those fortunate enough will be presented with academic awards.

The evening will conclude with a dinner for our Year 12 students in the Junior School Gymnasium where they will dine on delicious Mexican cuisine and woodfired pizzas.

Our school has continued to remain open and we are incredibly grateful to our families, students and to the community at large for their willingness to keep their children at home when unwell while seeking those all-important test results. There is no doubt that everyone’s care for each other in wearing masks correctly, hand sanitising and following the directions has assisted our school to protect and run the Year 12 VCAA examinations as well as the Year 10 and Year 11 examinations. We extend much thanks to our generous neighbours at the Church of Christ who so kindly and willingly assisted us at this time, by allowing us to ‘take over’ their church and transform it into our Year 12 examination centre for the last four weeks. Acts of kindness certainly do not go unnoticed in trying times and we are incredibly grateful for their assistance and support.

REMEMBRANCE DAY
Last week saw us celebrate Remembrance Day 2021 and unlike last year we were able to come together as a secondary community outside in the fresh air and under our very own Lone Pine at the rear of the Science Centre. Our secondary students were incredibly respectful and appropriately solemn for this occasion. They never cease to impress us with their compassion and respect for those who have and continue to serve our country.

Four of our students attended the service at the cenotaph in Warragul. The image below depicts from left to right, Jacob Puddy Deputy School Captain, Liam Lenders School Captain and in the front row our Junior School Captains Eli Raymond and Isabel Rowe.

DISCORD
Please find below some information on a relatively popular social media app that some students are accessing.

Discord is a phone or laptop app that is designed to facilitate communication through text, images, voice and video and allows users to create groups (servers) that can be joined by other friends and even total strangers from around the world.

Users can also search pre-existing groups created by others and join them as well.

Discord is different from traditional social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram as real-time interactions between groups via video is more common rather than one on one communication between those with an established profile. It also has some features similar to old-style forums, Reddit or YouTube streaming but with a focus on instant group communication that can then become one-on-one messaging.

Discord allows accounts to be created if you are thirteen or older with just an email address and entering their age and thus Discord accounts are not tied to your real-life identity and are generally anonymous.

Anyone can create a Discord server which can either be set to private (invite only) or public access. The Discord server is then moderated by the owner of the server as well as individuals which the owner chooses to be moderators. Channels are then created within the server which people use to communicate with text, images and videos. Links can also be posted in these text channels.

Voice channels can also be created which people can join to talk with each other over a headset as well as stream their own computer screen to others. Generally, channels are open to the entire server and act as a social media forum where people can post and have discussions. Public Discord servers can range from ten or twenty accounts in one to over 500,000 in others.

There are millions of public Discord servers that people can join. Discord servers generally have a topic that the server is associated with which conversation revolves around (a particular game, a particular political ideology, a particular region of the world, a particular person, to name a few).

Some Discord servers have channels that are branded NSFW (not safe for work 18+). On entering these channels, you are presented with a warning message which asks to confirm you are eighteen but you can easily lie. Any non-illegal content can be posted on NSFW channels. There are Discord servers that are entirely dedicated to NSFW content.

Discord also has a friend’s system in which you can add any other account you meet as a friend. Once they are your friend you can send DMs (direct messages) to each other which no one else can see. You can also send images and links through DMs and also join a voice chat with the person. NSFW content is allowed in DMs.

Discord in the past has been generally associated with the video game community but as Facebook falls out of favour for younger people, Discord is becoming more accepted as a general social media platform for younger people. If you join the larger servers in Discord, you will be exposed to accounts created by people from all over the world and from all ages. There is no way to verify who these people are unless they tell you personally.

Discord can potentially become addictive for some teenagers which is similar to many other internet technologies that facilitate the search and discovery of unsavoury material and individuals.

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations Samantha Dargan Year 12 who has recently been notified by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) that her folio and production work for Product Design and Technology (Soft Materials Textiles) has been shortlisted for ‘Top Designs 2022’. Her end-user, Year 12 student ‘Jas Porch’ pictured in the ensemble below, required a formal outfit for a gallery opening. Sammy not only mastered the brief while honouring the essence of her end-user but additionally tackled the environmental issue of ‘fast fashion’ with the development and creation of two bioplastics. After much experimentation with bioplastics she developed some suitable products and constructed the materials into a corset. The bioplastics are ingeniously embedded with seeds of local flora from in and around the Baw Baw Shire so that at ‘end of life’ the corset will not only decompose but contribute to the environment by providing natural vegetation indigenous to the local area. The buttons on the garment are constructed from local pebbles and have been carefully sculpted and hand sewn into place. We wish Sammy well and hope to hear even more good news in the coming weeks as the final designs are chosen by a panel for the 2022 exhibition at the Melbourne Museum.

SUN SAFETY
It is that time of year again where we gently remind our families to double check that their child has a school bucket hat to wear. Recent wet weather events have perhaps seen us forget the importance of sun safety at this time of year but when that sun finally emerges once again we will be asking our children to wear their hats outside to protect them from harsh exposure to UV. We have been delighted with the standard of the uniform in recent weeks and thank our families for checking their child’s uniform in the mornings. Thank you for kindly supporting us to assist your children to prepare for the world of work in which processes and procedures will need to be followed. We do appreciate the pride our students and families have in our uniform and the assistance they provide in maintaining our outstanding reputation and standard of presentation within the community.

Mrs Leonie Clark
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

NOVEMBER
19 November  Curriculum and Assessment Day (Student Free Day)
22 November to 3 December  Early Commencement, Years 11 and 12 2022
22 November to 8 December  Early Commencement, Years 8 to 10 2022
26 November  Student Leadership Day, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm

DECEMBER
6 December  Parent Prayer Group, Warragul Junior School, Prideaux Centre
7 December  Prideaux Gallop, 9:15 am
Presentation Assembly Rehearsal, 11:15 am
8 December
Presentation Assembly, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
End of Term 4, 3:30 pm finish

* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.

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.

DOGS, MYSTICS AND OPTIMISTS

My dog is an incurable optimist. She holds firmly to the belief that if she waits long enough, whatever she is hoping for will eventuate. She will sit at the back door for hours waiting patiently to be let in. The sound of vegetables being chopped will see her positioned strategically on the kitchen floor, watching my every movement in the hope of being thrown a carrot end. And she never seems to be in any doubt that it will happen! I could stand there tapping a knife on an empty chopping board and she would still look at me with the same optimism and expectation. She seems to go through life with a calm assurance that she will be fed, and all will be well. A fine example of canine optimism.

It turns out there are a lot of benefits to optimism which suggests to me that my dog might be on to something. According to researchers, optimists live longer, have healthier hearts and bodies, function better as leaders and innovators and have greater life satisfaction. Better still, optimism is something we can learn at any age. Encouraging news for this aging cynic. So how do I curb my pessimism and be more optimistic in life?

As much as I love my dog, there are plenty of human models of optimism that we can learn from. Did you know that Melbourne has a Centre for Optimism? I cannot decide whether that sounds like a wonderful place to visit or somewhere incredibly cringe-worthy (again with my inner cynic!). I can tell you that the founder of the Centre, Victor Perton, is an incredibly infectious optimist who draws some of his inspiration from, of all things, a 14th century Christian mystic named Julian of Norwich. Julian was an anchorite – someone who lives in isolation or seclusion, especially for religious reasons but in her case she also lived through the Black Death bubonic plague with half of Norwich, including her husband and child, dying. She knew about a global pandemic and social isolation. In self-isolation she wrote ‘The Revelations of Divine Love’, the first surviving book written by a woman in English! Bill Gervais says this of Julian of Norwich, “Despite having lived through many rounds of the bubonic plague, experiencing unspeakable suffering and witnessing the death of so many of her family and friends, she could coin her famous phrase, ‘All shall be well, all shall be well, all manner of things shall be well.’” (a phrase which poet T.S. Elliot later borrowed in his poem ‘Little Gidding’). At the heart of Julian’s optimism is a wonderful picture of the love of God. She describes God’s love as “so tender that He may never desert us.”

The famous evangelist Billy Graham expressed a similar sentiment in a sermon entitled ‘Why I am an optimist’. “I am an optimist not because I blindly hope – all evidence to the contrary – that somehow everything will work out all right. Nor am I an optimist because I believe in man’s unlimited ability to solve his problems. I am an optimist ultimately because I believe in God.”

As we approach the end of a year and emerge from the latest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we would do well to embrace a little optimism. This is doubly important for parents, teachers and anyone working with young people. Our children and teenagers need to see hope and optimism in us now more than ever.

So how do we practise being more optimistic? You may be relieved to know that it doesn’t involve locking yourself away in isolation and seclusion, Julian of Norwich style. In fact, there are a few simple habits (courtesy of the Centre for Optimism) that we can develop which will help us be more infectiously optimistic. Try these out for a few days and see if you notice anything:
1. Smile and laugh more
2. Ask yourself, “what makes you optimistic?” Or better still, ask someone else.
3. Change your greeting. Instead of saying, “How are you?” Try “What’s the best thing happening for you?”. Instead of responding “Not bad” or “Not too bad” try a pause…  “Thanks for asking, I have just had an interesting…”.

If you are interested in more habits for optimism, have a look at this list from the Centre for Optimism at https://www.centreforoptimism.com/The-Habits-of-the-Optimist

May you know the assurance that “all will be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

Thursday evening’s Valedictory Celebration was a modified version of the usual event, but a thoroughly enjoyable and appropriate occasion nonetheless. Indeed, it was not so long ago that uncertainty prevailed about it being able to occur at all. Congratulations are extended to all the staff who contributed to the event, our families who were in attendance and especially our Class of 2021 who have completed their school journey admirably despite less-than-ideal circumstances.
Tonight, our attention turns to the Year 10 students at the Traralgon Campus. A Farewell Dinner will celebrate their time at St Paul’s in Traralgon before most begin their Year 11 studies next week with Early Commencement at the Warragul Campus. We also thank the Traralgon Campus teachers and families, and wish all Year 10 students at both campuses the very best as they embark on their final two years of secondary education.

At both Junior Schools, our Prep classes for 2022 participated in a Prep Hat Ceremony in readiness for their commencement next year. Further along in the calendar in December, we have the Year 6 Graduation Dinners to look forward to in the final week of term, together with our Presentation Assemblies at Warragul and Traralgon. As with the Valedictory this week, these events are all required to be modified versions of the customary format, but we must be grateful that they are able to take place at all. We are certainly trying to do our best to make the most of the opportunities.

The most recent edition of Communitas our school community magazine can be found here: Communitas Issue 4

Cameron Herbert
Principal