Traralgon Junior School

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

We are heading into the final stretch of Term 4 and teachers and students continue to be busily engaged in lessons and activities and many of our annual events are underway.

Prep transition sessions have been enjoyed by our kinder children who are preparing to start their school journey.  Our Principal Mr Herbert visited during transition to participate in our annual ‘Hat Ceremony’ where children were presented with their yellow “Almost a St Paul’s Preppie” hat.  It was exciting to see so many big smiles and the enthusiasm of children as they spent time in the Prep classrooms and enjoyed an opportunity to play on the big kids’ playground.

Last Wednesday 18 November was our Prep to Year 2 Athletics Day.  Our students enjoyed their athletics carnival and were lucky to have beautiful weather.  The event ran smoothly and with a few tweaks and shifts in the organisation of the day to meet COVID-19 restrictions, students were able to participate in all events.  Although the day ran differently from previous years, each and every student had the opportunity to practise their skills and show off their improvements.

Students enjoyed individual events such as sprints, hurdles, vortex throwing and the bean bag toss.  They were also challenged with novelty team events such as tunnel ball, over and under, the sack race and an obstacle course.  There were many smiles throughout the day and icy poles to celebrate our individual and collective achievements.  Many thanks to our FOSP group who provided a healthy treat of fresh fruit for students which was devoured quickly and enjoyed by all.

Our current Year 5 students are in the process of applying for leadership positions for 2021.  Shortlisted students prepared a short speech on leadership and presented these to the Year 5 cohort.  Speeches were videoed and have been shared across the Junior School and with all staff.  The process for the selection of leaders will be completed in the coming weeks.

Other exciting learning in Year 5 has included students designing and then creating a ‘fire extinguisher device’ which is able to eliminate one aspect of the fire triangle in order to protect a home from an impending bushfire.  Students have shown some very creative thinking and designs.

All classes participated in Performance Day last Tuesday.  Students prepared and performed a range of poetry with a focus on developing drama, speaking and listening skills.  A performance of the ‘Highway Man’ by Alfred Noyse by our Year 6 students was a highlight of the day along with some delightful Prep class performances of ‘Noisy Mouse’ and ‘Penguins’.

Please be aware that some activities have been modified.  The Virtual Christmas Celebration Evening has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions and our inability to video groups of children singing together.

Important Dates for the final two weeks of Term 4:
Tuesday 1 December
  Year 7 Orientation Day
Thursday 3 December  Assembly ELC and Prep 2021 Orientation Day, 9:15 am to 1:00 pm
Monday 7 December  Prep to Year 5 Activity Day
Year 6 Celebration Excursion and Evening Even
Tuesday 8 December  Years 1 to 6 Orientation Day
End of Term 4, 3:20 pm finish

Throughout the year we have been responding to continual changing requirements from DHHS and DET in response to COVID-19.  At times we have needed to react quickly and implement new practices and enforce restrictions and at other times we have been required to think ‘outside the box’ and find creative ways to move forward. It has certainly been a challenging year for everyone.  Whilst it is understandable that we all feel a range of emotions and a degree of disappointment about the 2020 year, I encourage everyone to find as many things to be grateful for as possible and to accept the year for what it is.  It is our intention to finish the year together with a sense of joy and satisfaction for achieving so much during a pandemic, for being incredibly flexible and adaptable, for focusing on and caring for our students so well and for being supportive of each other and working together as a community.   I thank all of our parents for their ongoing support, empathy, understanding and cooperation.  We are indeed lucky to belong to such a wonderful community.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

 

 

JUNIOR SCHOOL RECEPTION HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday 14 December 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020, Open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 21 December 2020 to Tuesday 26 January 2021, Closed
Wednesday 27 January 2021, Normal hours resume, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

 

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

LUCINDA GIFFORD VIRTUAL ILLUSTRATOR VISIT

Lucinda Gifford, the author and illustrator of the celebrated books ‘Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas’ and ‘The Cat Wants Cuddles’, visited the Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 classes this week via video link.  She talked to the students about her top tips of drawing well and then demonstrated some of her favourite characters so that the students could have a go at making up their own characters to draw.  Then, the students made a potion of things like chicken feathers, toad warts, star dust and bin juice for their character to drink.  The result was some very funny and creative drawing.

 

YEAR 3 AQUAPONICS

Prior to online learning, Year 3 students learnt about aquaponics and how it works.  They put the system together, then let it sit.  COVID-19 hit and we went home.

Upon our return to school we took our plants from the Urbipod (the hydroponics system that we had used during online learning) and planted them in the garden at school.

We then focused on the aquaponics tank.  We replaced the water and tested the pH balance.  It was too high.  We were not sure what to do but we did not want to put our class fish in there yet.  We waited and tested again the following day.  Great discussion was had about water, drought, chemicals etc.  The pH was still a little high.  We discussed the use of chemicals to change the balance but then a student suggested that we take the water that our fish already swim in and put that in the tank.  So… we tested that water first to see if that was a possibility.  Sure enough the pH was appropriate.  We transferred the water (or much of it), let it settle and moved the fish over.  The next day students planted the seedlings.
We planted peas and lettuce.  We planted them outside in soil and inside in the aquaponics tank and made predictions about what we thought might happen.  We then fed the fish and left it alone.  (Oh yeah, we tied some string across the bars to give the peas something to climb on.  As a teacher, this is the absolute best teaching as it is real and students can continue to pay attention to it just because it is there.  Discussion is natural and interspersed throughout the day instead of only when it is time.  Because the fish were already in our class, it was interesting to listen to the conversations about the health of them as well as the opportunity to grow plants.  Much discussion was had about the environment and how this process might be a good idea with regard to using our resources wisely.  Front of mind, creates reasons to think!

Mrs Maria Harkins
Pastoral Coordinator

 

 

FOSP News

Thank you to our Traralgon Heads of School for their participation in the recent Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) Traralgon Annual General Meeting via Zoom.  It was great to see some new faces and a ‘new’ parent who is joining St Paul’s next year!  The financial position of FOSP remains strong despite limited opportunities for fundraising in the past year and our ‘committed spend’ of $10,000 to kick start a teenage playground project at the Traralgon Campus in the future.

After the reappointment of FOSP President, Myra Krafft, secretary Michelle Harding, treasurer Michelle Gallivan and communications officer Jo Loeschenkohl, the focus of discussion was around the ways FOSP can help support the School to welcome and engage with new families in the new year.

With the likelihood of restrictions for parental involvement on campus still in place for Term 1 of 2021, FOSP will work on some creative ways to connect with new families and welcome them into the St Paul’s community.

We invite you to stay connected with FOSP through our Facebook page.

 

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Payment Reminder
•  Tuition Fees are now overdue for families that do not have an agreed payment arrangement in place.
•  Sundry invoices were due for payment by Friday 30 October 2020 and are now overdue.
Please arrange to pay outstanding invoices immediately.
Please refer to your original fee statement issued in January for payment details or call Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or email accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Department of Education and Training (Vic DET) The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) – Extension of due date to 27 November
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.   Applications received during this extension will receive fifty per cent of the normal payment.  $62.50 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $112.50 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

To qualify for CSEF, a student’s family must meet the following eligibility criteria:
∗1  The student is of school age and attends a registered Victorian school

∗2  The family meets one of the eligibility categories below:
a – The parent/carer of the student is, on an eligible date:
i.  an eligible beneficiary of a Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card; or
ii.  an eligible beneficiary of a Veterans Affairs Gold Card; or
iii.  a temporary foster carer; or
iv.  the parent/carer of a student who is 16 years or older and who holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card or Disability Support Pension Card).
b –  The family is, on an eligible date, on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, is in community detention or is an asylum seeker family.
c – The student is, on an eligible date, in out-of-home care.
d The student is, on an eligible date, in statutory kinship care.

∗3  The student has not been deemed eligible to receive CSEF at another Victorian school for 2020.

Any student who meets one of the above eligibility categories on any day up to and including Monday 5 October 2020 will be eligible to apply for CSEF.  Funding applications for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers will still be accepted until the end of Term 4, as normal.

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately.  The CSEF program for 2020 now closes on 27 November 2020.

 

 

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School, Mr Brad McCabe. As the end of the 2020 school year is in sight, I would like to …

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Traralgon Secondary School

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

As the end of the 2020 school year is in sight, I would like to encourage our school community to reflect on the challenges and changes we have experienced.  Throughout this time, I witnessed our students rising to the occasion; adapt to online learning, finding self-motivation and social separation from their peer groups.  I would like to thank and acknowledge our staff and parents who all worked together to support the learning of our students throughout 2020.

Students have started Early Commencement strongly and have settled well into their new classes, with new classmates.  Every endeavour has been made to ensure students have friends in their class.  I am sure you will appreciate that many factors are considered when placing students in class groups.

On 26 November we conducted the Traralgon Secondary School’s leadership speeches assembly where candidates were given the opportunity to present a prepared speech to the students.  Throughout the assembly, I felt encouraged by the calibre of student leaders we have at St Paul’s.  I had the wonderful opportunity to share with students my personal thoughts about leadership.  Here is a small snippet of what I shared:

“It is not easy to define leadership as being any specific model or theory but rather as a complex process, having multiple facets.  The similarities and differences between theories resemble a Venn diagram.  Arguably, theoretical models that attempt to define leadership have been influenced by historical events, global influences and generational differences, such as the 1960s, compared to the twenty-first century.

As Head of Secondary School, it is important to be a good role model for students and to lead staff with authenticity and transparency.  Transformational leadership is described as being built on the moral character of leaders, their ethical values and the ethical nature of the interaction between leaders and their followers.  Upon reflection and conceptualisation of many different theoretical frameworks, I would like to highlight three key elements of leadership:

Firstly, leadership is impossible to define as being any one specific model or theory but rather as a complex process having multiple dimensions.

The second key element is that a characteristic of any good leader is to learn by reflecting and recognising their own strengths and weaknesses.

Thirdly, school communities are environments that are constantly changing, which emphasises that different situations require a different type of leadership. Effective leadership requires that a leader adapts their approach according to the demand of the situation.”

I wish all our candidates the very best and I hope they have learnt new skills throughout the application process.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very merry and safe Christmas and a cheerful start to the new year.

Brad McCabe
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

 

WHAT’S ON

NOVEMBER
30 November and 1 December   Year 7 2021 Orientation

DECEMBER
3 December
  Presentation Assembly Rehearsal
4 December  Filming Presentation Assembly
7 December  East Timor Run
8 December  End of Term 4, 3:10 pm finish

 

RECEPTION HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday 14 to Friday 18 December 2020,  Open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 21 December 2020 to Friday 8 January 2021,  Closed
Monday 11 to Thursday 21 January 2021,  Open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Friday 22 to Monday 26 January 2021,  Closed
Wednesday 27 January 2021,  Normal hours resume, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

 

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

YEAR 9 EXPLORING WALHALLA EXCURSION

 

On Friday 20 November, after exams, the Year 9 students went on an adventure up the windy roads to Walhalla.  Our first activity was an amazing ride on the old train along the Walhalla Goldfields Railway.  This consisted of us social distancing into three carriages.  The ride was full of twists and turns as it chugged through the valley along Stringers Creek.  We then split up into our mentor groups to explore the town of Walhalla and experience the Long Tunnel Gold Mine.  Our tour guide was Kimberly and she was a lot of fun as she told us about the hazards, the joys and the hardship of working in the mine.  Thank you to Mr McCabe for organising the day and the staff that were there to supervise us: Mrs O’Malley, Mr Treble, Ms Gatti and Saskia.

Sarah Farley
Year 9 Student

GARDENING CLUB, A SUCCESSFUL YEAR.

With the year closing I thought I would share some photos of the Gardening Club at Traralgon Secondary School.

I have attached photos of some of the students who have been working consistently to give up their lunchtimes to help grow a variety of herbs, fruit and vegetables.

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in this venture, most are keen to continue with this next year.

Ms Annette Young

MUCH TO CELEBRATE IN TRARALGON!

After a challenging year, our students had much to celebrate and enjoy in the last fortnight.

After the hard slog of exams, our Year 10 students were able to celebrate their time at the Traralgon Campus with a Year 10 High Tea on our deck.  Students were entertained by speeches from their peers and enjoyed a scrumptious lunch cooked by our amazing canteen staff and supported by FOSP.  We will miss our Year 10 students as they are a fabulous cohort of young adults but we know that they will be welcomed at the Warragul Campus and embrace all the opportunities of secondary school.

Our Year 9 students were able to showcase their ‘Thinking and Learning Personal Projects’ during a daytime exhibition.  They were all very excited to display the culmination of all their hard work during online learning and many fabulous projects were on display.  Every year I am blown away by the talents and creativity shown by our students and the pride in their achievements is well deserved.

As a teacher and Head of Year, this fortnight has reinforced to me why I love teaching at St Paul’s so much and just how wonderful our students are. I  would again like to thank all my Years 9 and 10 students for how rewarding they make my job!

Ms Kirsten Enders
Head of Years 9 and 10 – Traralgon Campus

 

TIMOR CHRISTMAS STALL COMING SOON!

As the year ends, our Timor fundraising heats up!  Our Team Timor students have continued to raise money with Timor Flowers.  Next week, we are looking forward to running our annual Timor Christmas stall, where students get the chance to buy some great gifts and support our work building classrooms in the Ermera district.  We will have gifts to suit every budget and will operate next  Thursday and Friday in the Secondary School.  We are also taking orders for Timor coffee, a great gift for the discerning coffee drinker this Christmas.  Please contact Ms Enders if you would like to place an order or find out more about our Timor gifts.

 

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Payment Reminder
•  Tuition Fees are now overdue for families that do not have an agreed payment arrangement in place.
•  Sundry invoices were due for payment by Friday 30 October 2020 and are now overdue.
Please arrange to pay outstanding invoices immediately.
Please refer to your original fee statement issued in January for payment details or call Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or email accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Department of Education and Training (Vic DET) The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) – Extension of due date to 27 November
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.   Applications received during this extension will receive fifty per cent of the normal payment.  $62.50 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $112.50 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

To qualify for CSEF, a student’s family must meet the foll

owing eligibility criteria:
∗1  The student is of school age and attends a registered Victorian school

∗2  The family meets one of the eligibility categories below:
a – The parent/carer of the student is, on an eligible date:
i.  an eligible beneficiary of a Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card; or
ii.  an eligible beneficiary of a Veterans Affairs Gold Card; or
iii.  a temporary foster carer; or
iv.  the parent/carer of a student who is 16 years or older and who holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card or Disability Support Pension Card).
b –  The family is, on an eligible date, on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, is in community detention or is an asylum seeker family.
c – The student is, on an eligible date, in out-of-home care.
d The student is, on an eligible date, in statutory kinship care.

∗3  The student has not been deemed eligible to receive CSEF at another Victorian school for 2020.

Any student who meets one of the above eligibility c

ategories on any day up to and including Monday 5 October 2020 will be eligible to apply for CSEF.  Funding applications for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers will still be accepted until the end of Term 4, as normal.

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately.  The CSEF program for 2020 now closes on 27 November 2020.

Staff Profile

Meet our longest serving teacher – GARY PRIME Gary Prime commenced at St Paul’s in February 1984 when the school was only two years old …

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Meet our longest serving teacher – GARY PRIME

Gary Prime commenced at St Paul’s in February 1984 when the school was only two years old and had approximately 140 students.  It was in the early days of St Paul’s when the School was still located in the Anglican Church Hall in Warragul and Des Parker was the Principal.  When Gary joined St Paul’s, he was one of six staff members.  He remembers how the students and staff had to pack up the tables and chairs on Friday afternoons, ready for the Church to use the rooms for Sunday School.  They would then set them back up the following Monday morning.

Gary grew up in South Australia and was to become the fourth generation farmer in his family on the farm where they had sheep, cows, pigs and grain.  When he saw a presentation about being a teacher at school, he decided that was the path for him and he went on to be the first in his family to receive a tertiary education.

He began teaching in 1966 where his first pay cheques were in pounds, shillings and pence.  He has primarily been a Maths and Physics teacher but has taught Christian Studies and computer programming over the years.

In the earlier years of St Paul’s, Gary was responsible for preparing Daily Organiser and Timetabling tasks, which he completed using pins and cardboard on canite board on his office walls.

In 1988 Gary used the first desktop computer in the school to create the timetable which was “a very noisy computer that imitated the sound effects of a concrete mixer”.

Gary was Deputy Principal of St Paul’s for six years and Dean of Students for many years.

He was also the MC at many speech nights.  Gary established and administered the St Paul’s Colours and Emblems and chaired the committee which has been in existence since 1995.

With legendary attention to detail, Gary has been the school Grammarian newsletter and Perspectives school magazine proofreader for many years (and continues to do so today).

He has meticulously checked every name and detail using a database system he devised himself.

But his talents did not stop there, as Gary took on the role of school photographer for many years.  He would pride himself in taking photos at school events and then rush back to the local photo shop to have them developed where he would then display all of the photos on a pinboard before school the next day for the students.  He also ran a Photography Club and had a darkroom in the Parker Centre where many students learnt to develop black and white film.  We have Gary to thank for many of the thousands of wonderful photos that showcase both students and the history of St Paul’s.

He turned his childhood hobby of Radio DXing into a school club where students would work with him using the world radio handbook.  DXing is the hobby of receiving and identifying distant radio or television signals, or making two-way radio contact with distant stations in amateur radio, citizens band (CB) radio or other two-way radio communications.  They would also attempt to obtain written verifications of reception or contact, sometimes referred to as “QSLs” or “veries”.

An unusual request was when Gary was asked to be the producer of the school production, ‘Anything Goes’.   This was something that was definitely not in his comfort zone, in particular being responsible for the safety parameters of each show, as a student was held in a harness upside down looking through a porthole!

It was a significant moment for Gary and the School when they moved from the Church Hall to Bowen Street.

He thinks that the three-week mid-year break started way back then because the grounds at Bowen Street were so muddy and they needed more time to create paths before the students started.

Gary believes that some of the strengths of St Paul’s are the enormous amount of co-curricular activities on offer.  “St Paul’s delivers a very high quality of education but the co-curricular offering is really excellent”.

Having taught at St Paul’s for thirty-six years, Gary is the school’s longest serving teacher.  He has taught many of our parents, teachers, past students and current students at this school.

Outside of work, Gary is an avid photographer and is a mad keen number plate collector with over 400 number plates in his shed at home.  He said he always had a keen eye and memory for number plates even as a child and loves the unique plates he collects and comes across.  He is sometimes asked to speak at local Apex and Vietnam Veterans’ meets regarding this hobby and share his knowledge.  Another of Gary’s interests is renovating cars and their engines.

He has renovated thirteen Ford Consuls and eight Ford Zephyrs.  Gary is also an elder in his church and devotes much of his spare time to assist other people through Meals on Wheels and other programs.

He loves dogs more than cats but has two cats!

Gary will be well remembered amongst the students for saying “I have some good news, I have some bad news.”  After fifty-four years of teaching, (thirty-six of those at St Paul’s),

Gary retired at the end of 2019.

Some of his peers have said that Gary is “the nicest, most caring, honest and truthful man you have ever met”.

He is considered by his colleagues and students as a most dedicated and professional teacher who is highly respected.  Gary is a thoughtful colleague who is always thinking selflessly about the best ways to support those around him.

He plans to read ‘Man Shy’ in his retirement as it was a school book that he “just didn’t get” when he was younger and he is keen “to take a second look”.

Warragul Junior School

From the Head of Warragul Junior School, Mr Rowan van Raay. 2020 comes to an end! The finish of the 2020 school year is just …

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Warragul Junior School

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

2020 comes to an end!
The finish of the 2020 school year is just around the corner and what a year it has been.  Much has been said and written but I know we have all worked extremely hard to make the best of an unique situation.  Whilst every member of our St Paul’s Junior School family will have their own back story in the years to come about the year 2020, I am proud of the way our community has supported each other with the best of intentions.

I am pleased that we have managed to offer our students some of our regular activities during the final weeks of Term 4.  Our Years 3 and 4 students enjoyed a Dance incursion run by the Sydney Dance Company with a HJF workshop (Hip Hop, Jazz, Funk fusion) via Zoom on Tuesday.  Our Years 3 and 6 students enjoyed three-day camp this week, our Years 4 and 5 students are off to Gumbuya World and other activities are planned for students throughout the remainder of the year.

Personal Development Lessons:  Our Years 1 to 6 students have now completed their personal development program with Mrs Leighton.  Hopefully discussions have continued at home and I thank Mrs Leighton for running this important program for us this year.

School Photos:  Our annual school photos were taken last Friday.  To view the images of your child and order photos, you will need to register online.
1.  Go to https://order.arphotos.com.au
2.  Enter the 2020 image code for your child (from their personalised flyer)
3.  Fill in your email and mobile details
That is it!  You will be notified by email/SMS when 2020 images are ready to view and purchase.
In the webshop you can view photos and customise your photo package; choose ANY layout, ANY image plus purchase digital image downloads.

Once registered, please wait for notification that 2020 images are online to view before making your purchase.  All orders will be sent to the address you nominate when ordering.

To be notified when images are ready to view – Register online now.

Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival:  Thanks to Mr Boraston for running another wonderful Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival last Wednesday.  The students competed in a range of events.  Congratulations to Navy House for being victorious on the day for the second year running.  The icy poles went down a treat at the end and were well-deserved.  Thanks to the staff who assisted on the day.

2021 Orientation Program:  Our Prep to Year 5 students will spend time with their 2021 teacher and class on Tuesday 8 December (final day of 2020).  This change of date allows our new students to join us on campus this day.  Students will go to their 2020 classroom as normal where they will be told their 2021 class and then move to their new classroom.  They will then spend the full day with their 2021 teacher and new classmates.  2021 class lists will be sent home with students on this day.  Our Year 6 students will also participate in their orientation to Year 7 next Tuesday.

End of Year Reports:  End of year reports will be available for families to view on MyStPauls next Wednesday.  Information on how to access these will be emailed to families on Wednesday.

2021 Junior School Leaders:  Our 2021 Junior School Leaders will be announced on Monday and I would like to congratulate all of the Year 5 students for applying for a leadership position.  My thanks to Mr Barkla and Mrs Davies for once again overseeing the process this year.  An official handover from our current Year 6 students will take place during our Presentation Assembly recording on Thursday 3 December.

Year 6 Dinner – Hollywood comes to St Paul’s:   We will be holding our annual Year 6 Dinner “with a difference” on Monday 7 December.  Year 6 students and staff will be dressing up, walking the red carpet, enjoying a meal together while watching a premiere of our Junior School musical ‘Cindy’.  We have become very creative and have a few other surprises for our Year 6 students.  I thank those who have helped to organise this celebration and I am certain it will be a fun and memorable night for our Year 6 students.

2021:  A reminder that 2021 commences on Monday 1 February for all Prep to Year 6 students and I will communicate to families in the new year with regards to any regulations or restrictions that may still be in place for schools.

As this is the final newsletter for 2020, I would like to thank all of the teaching and education support staff who have worked with our ELC and Junior School students throughout a very different and challenging year.  I thank Ms Rapinett for her contribution to our Junior School and wish her well at her new school.  It will be great to cross paths with her at RoboCup competitions in the future.

Thanks also to all of our great support staff: Bec, Brydie and Luisa in the office, our Maintenance team, our IT Department, cleaning team, gardeners, After School Care staff, Finance Department, Enrolments team, HR and Marketing teams, canteen staff, Bus Coordinator, Performing Arts staff, crossing supervisors and all of the staff in the Secondary School Administration building.  We wish Brydie all the best as her traineeship finishes with us at the beginning of next year.

Well done to all our students and families for adapting so much this year, it has been both challenging and rewarding at various times but we made it!  We have all worked hard, shared many laughs and a few tears along the way.  Not to mention all the new regulations and rules we have all had to follow.  I wish all the Year 6 students, and the students and staff moving on to other schools, all the very best.

Finally, I wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year (when we get there) and I look forward to seeing you in 2021 with hopefully a sense of normality (if there will ever be such a thing).

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

 

WHAT’S ON

DECEMBER
7 December  Years 3, 4 and 5 Swim Trials
Year 6 Graduation Dinner
8 December  2021 Year 1 to Year 6 Orientation Day
End of Term 4, 3:20 pm finish

 

JUNIOR SCHOOL RECEPTION HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday 14 December 2020 to Wednesday 16 December 2020, Open 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Thursday 17 December 2020 to Friday 15 January 2021, Closed
Monday 18 January 2021 to Monday 25 January 2021, Open 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Tuesday 26 January 2021, Closed
Wednesday 27 January 2021, Open as usual, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm weekdays

 

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

 

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Payment Reminder
•  Tuition Fees are now overdue for families that do not have an agreed payment arrangement in place.
•  Sundry invoices were due for payment by Friday 30 October 2020 and are now overdue.
Please arrange to pay outstanding invoices immediately.
Please refer to your original fee statement issued in January for payment details or call Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or email accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Department of Education and Training (Vic DET) The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) – Extension of due date to 27 November
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.   Applications received during this extension will receive fifty per cent of the normal payment.  $62.50 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $112.50 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

To qualify for CSEF, a student’s family must meet the following eligibility criteria:
∗1  The student is of school age and attends a registered Victorian school

∗2  The family meets one of the eligibility categories below:
a – The parent/carer of the student is, on an eligible date:
i.  an eligible beneficiary of a Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card; or
ii.  an eligible beneficiary of a Veterans Affairs Gold Card; or
iii.  a temporary foster carer; or
iv.  the parent/carer of a student who is 16 years or older and who holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card or Disability Support Pension Card).
b –  The family is, on an eligible date, on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, is in community detention or is an asylum seeker family.
c – The student is, on an eligible date, in out-of-home care.
d The student is, on an eligible date, in statutory kinship care.

∗3  The student has not been deemed eligible to receive CSEF at another Victorian school for 2020.

Any student who meets one of the above eligibility categories on any day up to and including Monday 5 October 2020 will be eligible to apply for CSEF.  Funding applications for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers will still be accepted until the end of Term 4, as normal.

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately.  The CSEF program for 2020 now closes on 27 November 2020.

 

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

If you would like to join with other parents of the school to pray, the regular monthly prayer meeting will be taking place on Monday 7 December.
Please get in touch with Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com for more information.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done.”  Philippians 4:6

Warragul Secondary School

From the Head of Warragul Secondary School, Ms Laura Butterworth. This is our final edition of the Grammarian for 2020.  As the year comes to …

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Warragul Secondary School

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

This is our final edition of the Grammarian for 2020.  As the year comes to a close, I would like to acknowledge all of the members of our community for their sustained effort and resilience throughout a year like no other.  From Year 7 through to Year 12, the challenges we faced this year have been significant but we are blessed to be a part of a school community, such as ours, which has worked together to finish the year so well.  Early Commencement always brings a sense of excitement as students transition to a new year level, new students join us and staff begin a new curriculum for a new year.  It is always a time of renewed enthusiasm but the undertone of a tiresome year is still lingering and I think the summer break will be a welcome relief.  We are very proud of all of our students and their individual achievements this year.  We are thankful to our parents for your support and grateful to our dedicated staff, all over our school, who remained committed to the education and wellbeing of every child in our care.  We wish all of our families a safe and relaxing break, it is well deserved and we look forward to welcoming you all back for the start of 2021.

Parent Survey
Thank you to those families who have already responded to our Online Learning Parent Survey.  The opportunity to participate will close at 5:00 pm this afternoon for those who would still like to contribute feedback.  The link to access the survey was sent to you via email on Thursday 19 November 2020.  If you are unable to find it and wish to participate then please call the Secondary School Office and we will resend it to you.

COVID-19 Protocol Update for 2021
As a school, we will be monitoring the advice from both the Victorian Health and Education Departments over the summer break.  We will send an update, prior to school recommencing, which will explain any COVID-19 protocols that may still be in place as we begin the new school year.

Final Days – a reminder
Just a reminder that our 2021 Years 11 and 12 cohorts have their final day on Friday 4 December 2020.

Our 2021 Years 8, 9 and 10 cohorts finish on Tuesday 8 December 2020.  This day will include our annual Prideaux Gallop Fun Run/Walk and an afternoon of planned fun activities to end the year.  Students will be informed of further details in the coming days but we expect all Years 8 to 10 students to be in attendance on this day.

2020 Reports
A reminder to families that our reports are now distributed electronically and families will be notified by email, when these are ready to download and read from MyStPauls.  Once you have been notified then please follow these steps to find your child/ren’s reports:
1.  Log in to MyStPauls with your user name and password.
(If these have been misplaced, please contact the IT department at the school for assistance.)
2.  On the opening page you will see your child/ren’s names in the centre of the page.  Under each child there are a series of options.  One of these options is ‘Academic Reports’.  Click this button.
(If you have multiple children at the School, you will have to access the reports for each child separately.)
3.  The page that opens has a list of reports.  The Semester 2 2020 report will be at the top of the list.
4.  Click on the report.
5.  Depending on how you have configured your device, the report will either open straight away or it will save and you will need to open it from the saved location as per your browser settings in your device.
6.  Once opened you can read the report and print it (as per your device’s settings).

First day of 2021
Please note in your calendar that the first day of the 2021 academic year will be Monday 1 February 2021.  We do normally start the year on a Friday so this is a change for 2021.  As always, school photos are scheduled for that day as well as our Welcome Assembly.  We hope to be able to proceed with these events normally but we will advise in January if there will be any changes to photos or the first day program due to ongoing or new COVID-19 restrictions.

The Spirit of Giving – Baw Baw Combined Churches Food Relief
Many of us at St Paul’s will sit down to a beautiful table laden with delicious food and refreshing beverages that we will share with our loved ones this Christmas.

There is no doubt that this has been a very hard year for many in our community.  Lost income and uncertain employment mean that now, more than ever, many in our Baw Baw community may go without the basic necessities this Christmas.

Christmas is about giving and sharing and this Christmas we are asking you to share non-perishable items that you like to eat at your Christmas table with others in our community.

Outside the Library you will find the ‘St Paul’s Christmas Dinner table’.  You will note that it is laden with Christmas spirit and also some facts and statistics regarding poverty in Australia.

Please embrace the spirit of Christmas and give a wonderful Christmas to others in our community by bringing and sharing non-perishable food.

Let’s make it our St Paul’s mission to ensure that no one in the Baw Baw Shire misses out on the Christmas that we all deserve.

Please donate non-perishable food products to fill the Christmas tubs at the display and help provide Christmas goodies to stock the shelves at the Baw Baw Combined Churches Food Relief Centre.

The following is a list of non-perishable foods needed this Christmas. (Please check the use by dates on your kind donations).

•  Canned foods (pasta, baked beans, beetroot, corn, tuna, soup, tomatoes, fruit)
•  Packs of pasta
•  Christmas treats (chocolates, shortbreads, fruit mince tarts, Christmas cakes)
•  Biscuits
•  Tea bags
•  Pasta sauces
•  Jars of jam
•  2-minute noodles
•  Boxes of cereal
•  Cake mixes
•  Savoury biscuits
•  Cordial
•  Long-life milk and long-life custard
•  Packs of jelly
•  Meal bases and/or simmer sauces
•  Soaps/toothpaste/deodorant/shampoo/conditioner and other personal items
Ms Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

 

WHAT’S ON

NOVEMBER
10 November to 1 December  Units 3 and 4 Exams
24 November to 4 December  Early Commencement, 2021 Years 11 and 12
24 November to 8 December  Early Commencement, 2021 Years 8 to 10

DECEMBER
3 December   Christmas Service
SRC Meeting, lunchtime
4 December  Leadership Day
2021 Years 11 and 12 Final Day of Classes
Valedictory Dinner
8 December  End of Term 4, 3:30 pm finish

Art Club – runs throughout the week.
To access the Art Club page, https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/10926
Students can comment in the social stream to join or email cpowell@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

 

RECEPTION HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday 14 December 2020 to Friday 18 December 2020, Open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 21 December 2020 to Friday 8 January 2021, Closed
Monday 11 January 2021 to Monday 25 January 2021, Open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Tuesday 26 January 2021, Closed
Wednesday 27 January 2021, Open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

 

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

 

2020 BOOK RETURNS AND 2021 HOLIDAY BORROWING

The Warragul Secondary School Library now has loan periods locked in for holiday borrowing over the Early Commencement period.
We are also offering a special Christmas Edition – Mystery Packs on request.  These are bespoke collections of books ready to open Christmas morning (or before if you just cannot wait).  Library holiday loans will be due back on 1 February 2021.

Book returns
Please check at home and gather up any loans from the online learning periods to return as soon as possible so we can put them back into circulation.

Thank you.

The Library Staff

 

 

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Payment Reminder
•  Tuition Fees are now overdue for families that do not have an agreed payment arrangement in place.
•  Sundry invoices were due for payment by Friday 30 October 2020 and are now overdue.
Please arrange to pay outstanding invoices immediately.
Please refer to your original fee statement issued in January for payment details or call Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or email accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Department of Education and Training (Vic DET) The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) – Extension of due date to 27 November
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.   Applications received during this extension will receive fifty per cent of the normal payment.  $62.50 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $112.50 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

To qualify for CSEF, a student’s family must meet the following eligibility criteria:
∗1  The student is of school age and attends a registered Victorian school

∗2  The family meets one of the eligibility categories below:
a – The parent/carer of the student is, on an eligible date:
i.  an eligible beneficiary of a Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card; or
ii.  an eligible beneficiary of a Veterans Affairs Gold Card; or
iii.  a temporary foster carer; or
iv.  the parent/carer of a student who is 16 years or older and who holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card or Disability Support Pension Card).
b –  The family is, on an eligible date, on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, is in community detention or is an asylum seeker family.
c – The student is, on an eligible date, in out-of-home care.
d The student is, on an eligible date, in statutory kinship care.

∗3  The student has not been deemed eligible to receive CSEF at another Victorian school for 2020.

Any student who meets one of the above eligibility categories on any day up to and including Monday 5 October 2020 will be eligible to apply for CSEF.  Funding applications for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers will still be accepted until the end of Term 4, as normal.

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately.  The CSEF program for 2020 now closes on 27 November 2020.

 

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

If you would like to join with other parents of the school to pray, the regular monthly prayer meeting will be taking place on Monday 7 December.
Please get in touch with Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com for more information.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done.”  Philippians 4:6

From the Chaplain

GETTING READY Are you ready?  It is that time of year when it seems like we are all constantly getting ready for something.  Households are …

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GETTING READY

Are you ready?  It is that time of year when it seems like we are all constantly getting ready for something.  Households are getting ready for Christmas celebrations with friends and family, schools are getting ready for the new year with Early Commencement and orientation activities, Victorians are getting ready to come out of COVID-19 restrictions and into ‘COVID normal’, countries are getting ready for the arrival of a vaccine… But of course, so much of our planning comes with the caveat, ‘assuming restrictions allow it.’  We are getting ready, but in many ways, we do not really know what exactly we are getting ready for or at least what it is going to look like.

This can be a tricky time to manage.  If you are someone that likes plans locked in and details sorted well in advance, this uncertainty can generate a level of anxiety.  And if you are the sort that likes to go with the flow and do things on the spur of the moment then get ready to be frustrated because when the moment arrives you may be told ‘no!’

We find ourselves operating on the philosophy expressed by the character, Halt, in the Rangers Apprentice series, “Always expect something to go wrong.  Believe me, if you’re wrong, you’re not disappointed.  If you’re right, you’re ready for it”.

Good advice perhaps but a fairly pessimistic view of life.

You may not be aware of this but Christians have been observing ‘early commencement’ for centuries.  In the Anglican calendar the new liturgical year starts this Sunday with the season known as Advent.  The easiest way to understand the Christian Church’s calendar is as a sort of live immersive theatre, designed by tradition to re-enact the life of Jesus every year from Christmas (birth) to Easter (resurrection), with readings in traditional churches that revisit stories from the gospels each year during that time.  Advent — adventus — is the part of the calendar that’s all about anticipation.  In Christian teaching, there are two events being anticipated.  Most obviously, it is the anticipation of Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  But, short of getting the menu organised for the Christmas meal, there is not a lot of uncertainty in this advent.  The primary event has occurred.  The baby has been born.  What we anticipate each year is the event itself but the celebration of its significance for us.  The second event that Advent anticipates is the return of Jesus, bringing the healing and redemption of the whole world and the erasing of suffering and death.  It is this anticipation that resonates more strongly with me this year.  Just as we do not know exactly what the development of a COVID-19 vaccine will look like for the world, in the same way we do not have a clear picture of what the return of Jesus will be like.  But just as so many are placing great hope in the salvation that a vaccine might bring to our economy and way of life, even more so do Christians pin their hopes on the return of Jesus.

So, as we embrace this Advent season, may we know the certainty of God’s presence with us, made visible in the person of Jesus.  May we know God’s peace in the midst of uncertainties in life and may we anticipate with hope and joy the promise of healing for our broken world.  And if you find yourself struggling, I leave you with the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”

May you have a blessed Christmas and a joyful summer break.

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

From the Principal

As this is the final Grammarian for the year, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate our students on their achievements during 2020.  I …

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As this is the final Grammarian for the year, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate our students on their achievements during 2020.  I also wish to acknowledge and thank our staff and school families for working together to help make it a successful year at St Paul’s, despite the unforeseeable obstacles that presented themselves.  The importance of cooperation between parents, staff and students can never be overemphasised, and it was especially important this year.

‘Early Commencement’ was the flavour of this week for most of our secondary students, with next year’s classes now well underway.  This places significant pressure on our staff but they do their utmost to handle the extra workload with a minimum of fuss and they value the benefits that it brings, particularly for our VCE students.  We are blessed with a very diligent, talented group of staff at St Paul’s and for this we are extremely grateful.  They have worked particularly hard this year in difficult circumstances.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the Christian season of Advent.  It is my hope that, amidst the barrage of advertising and consumerism that prevails in the lead up to 25 December, we are all able to immerse ourselves in something more meaningful this Christmas.  Jesus was born at a time when ignorance, greed and immorality were the order of the day.  His birth signified a transformational moment, leading to a new way of life.  With this in mind, I hope that this Christmas is an extra special one for us all, and a season in which love, care, forgiveness and hope resonate.

Now that Christmas seems likely to be free of most of the restrictions placed upon us during 2020, I wish everyone in our community an especially happy Christmas holiday and a wonderful beginning to what is hopefully a far more predictable year in 2021.

I received some wonderful news from the Premier’s office last week that one of our Year 10 students, Lleyton Row, has been awarded the Premier’s Spirit of ANZAC Prize. He has won a $3,000 Scholarship for his efforts.  Congratulations, Lleyton!

Cameron Herbert
Principal