In this issue

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mr Stephen Klemke.

Season Greetings
As this is the last Grammarian for the year may I take the opportunity to wish all a very merry and safe Christmas and a cheerful start to the new year.

An invitation to a time of remembering and being thankful for those we have lost
Christmas is often a time when families gather together to celebrate. Unfortunately, for many families there may also be a touch of sadness at the absence of a family member who has passed away or is separated in some way by distance or circumstance.  For some in our school community this Christmas will be the first one without that special person.  Often it can be helpful to take some time to pause, remember and give thanks for those who will not be with us in person this Christmas.

Staff and students are invited to attend a short service of commemoration and thanksgiving for those who are no longer with us.  This service is open to people of all faiths and those without.  There will be opportunities to participate in reflective acts such as candle lighting or you may choose to simply use the time for your own personal reflection.

Staff and student service of commemoration and thanksgiving for those who are no longer with us.
Friday 7 December, 12:50 pm in the Salvation Army Chapel.

Farewell Year 10
We recently farewelled our Year 10 of 2018 at the annual Year 10 Farewell Dinner.  Thank you to Kirsten Enders and Sandra Timmer–Arends for organising the evening.  I wish the Year 10 students every success with their next phase of schooling and trust that your memories from the Traralgon Secondary School are fond ones.

Presentation Assembly
The Traralgon Secondary School Presentation Assembly will take place on Wednesday 12 December at 12:00 noon in the school gymnasium.  The assembly is scheduled to finish at approximately 1:30 pm at which time reports will be available for collection.  It barely needs mentioning, however, students are required to wear full summer formal uniform with blazer.
As there are no scheduled classes on this day, students will then be permitted to leave with their parents or to sign out with a note.
For students who need to attend for the full school day we will provide appropriate supervision and activity.

Run for East Timor
The last day of scheduled classes is Monday 10 December.  On Tuesday 11 December from 9:00 am to 11:00 am we will be holding our annual Run for East Timor to raise funds for Friends of Ermera, an organisation that assists schools and community groups in the Ermera area of East Timor.  We are asking students for a donation of $5, as St Paul’s is aiming to raise enough funds to build a new village school building.  The $5 donation will be collected in Mentor Group or can be handed in to the office.
Students are invited to dress up in fancy dress for the run, with prizes and house points to be won for the best dressed and the most laps run!  If students do not wish to dress up, they need to wear house sport uniform and bring a hat.  The run will take place at the cricket oval on the school ground.
Year 10 students of 2018 who are wanting to attend will need to sign in and out of the school and pay their $5 entry fee at the office.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Kirsten Enders.

Following the Run for East Timor there will be House Theatre Sports, a Presentation Assembly rehearsal and a final Mentor Group for the year.

Traralgon Secondary School Office Hours over the Christmas Break
Monday 17 December to Wednesday 19 December
Open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Thursday 20 December to Tuesday 22 January
Office closed
Wednesday 23 January to Friday 25 January
Open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 28 January
Office closed – Australia Day Public Holiday
Tuesday 29 January
Open regular hours 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Stephen Klemke
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

DECEMBER
3 to 5 December  Year 7 2019 Orientation
7 December  St James Community Christmas Lunch Excursion
FOSP Christmas Evening, 7:00 pm
11 December  Run for East Timor Fundraiser
12 December  Traralgon Secondary School Presentation Assembly, 12:00 noon
End of 2018 school year

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 2 November 2018 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

SECONDHAND UNIFORM SALE

The end of the school year is fast approaching and it will not be long before our next cohort of Year 7s start their orientation program.  To help families with the cost of starting at Year 7 we are offering a secondhand uniform sale during the three days of orientation (3 December to 5 December).  If you have any clothing you would like to sell during these days we ask that you follow the guidelines below and we will endeavour to sell these for you.

Step 1 – thoroughly wash any clothing, dry cleaning of the blazers

Step 2 – write a list of all your items with the size beside each and any markings such as names, ripped tags, spots and other

Step 3 – using a safety pin, pin your name and asking price for the garment on each item

Step 4 – bring the items to the office

Items will be put on sale during the orientation program.  Any clothing not sold will be returned to you along with any money from your sales.

BUS TRAVEL

We are excited to announce FREE PTV bus routes which travel straight to our door at the St Paul’s Traralgon Campus!

Along with the current Country School Bus network of bus routes travelling to our campus, these additional routes will now allow more students to travel to St Paul’s Traralgon free of charge.  Students will be required to purchase an upfront annual student concession myki and will be reimbursed the full cost from the conveyance process.

To find out more about how your child can travel for free to St Paul’s Traralgon Campus by taking advantage of these new PTV routes or to find out further information regarding exact routes please contact our bus coordinator on buscoordinator@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or 5623 5833.

NOTICE TO PARENTS 2019 Digital Distribution of Reports

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School will soon begin distributing formal Secondary School Student Reports via the MyStPauls portal.  Commencing with the 2019 Semester 1 Reports, this modern and environmentally friendly form of digital distribution will allow for more convenient access to your child’s semester reports.  We believe that parents will find it easier to cross-reference their child’s results with the comments and ongoing feedback that were issued by teachers over the course of the semester.  Past reports (2013 to 2017) will also be made available to download via access to an online archive.

In order to assist parents with the transition to digital reports, the School will happily mail out a hardcopy report, if requested.  Instructions as to how parents will be able access reports via the portal will be sent out in 2019 and staff will be made available to attend to any troubleshooting matters that may emerge.

James Avram
Director of Learning and Teaching

DISABILITIES IN SPORT

Dylan Alcott
On Thursday 6 December, Dylan Alcott will be visiting the secondary school students to talk about life in a wheelchair and his accomplishments.  Dylan was invited to talk following on from the Year 8 Disabilities in Sport unit in Health.  Dylan is best known for his tennis.  In January 2015 he won the quad wheelchair Australian Open.  At the conclusion of 2015, he was ranked number one after winning eight titles including two grand slam singles titles.  However, he has also competed for Australia in wheelchair basketball and won gold.

Dylan also hosts a radio show and is a motivational speaker.  He has recently released a book called ‘Abled’ in which he writes about how proud he is of who he is and how he proves that for every one thing you cannot do, there are ten thousand things you can do.

Dylan will be speaking to the secondary school students from 12:00 noon Thursday 6 December.  Anyone interested in hearing him is most welcome to join in.

Wheelchair Basketball
Year 8 students have recently been studying Disabilities in Sport.  As part of their program they participated in wheelchair basketball and listened to an inspiring guest speaker – Peter Ogunyemi.

Peter was born in Nigeria and suffered from Polio as a young child, losing the use of his legs.  For the first fourteen years of his life he had to get around by crawling as he did not have access to crutches or a wheelchair.  This meant crawling to school for two kilometres and back each day.  Sometimes his Mum would carry him on her back.  He started going to the gym to build up his body so that people would not look at him and see his disability. They would look and see how strong he was.  Since moving to Australia Peter has competed in wheelchair basketball and AFL.  He is captain for Hawthorn and this year won the team’s Best and Fairest.

Peter Ogunyemi.

Jump ball.

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

As I write my final newsletter for 2018, I wonder where the year has gone!  It is hard to believe that the end of the school year is only a week and a half away.

Thanks to Mr Boraston for running another wonderful Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival on Monday.  It is always a joy to see the students have fun competing in all of the events.  Thanks to the staff and Year 6 Leaders who also assisted on the day and to all of the parents and friends who attended to cheer on our students.  Congratulations to Burgundy House for being victorious on the day and Mr B who took out the staff “sprint”… if you could call it that!

Our Year 3s enjoyed three days together this week at Waratah Bay for their first school camp.  It was wonderful to see how well the students interacted and worked together.  The surfing, giant swing, beach activities and pyjama disco were major highlights for most of the students once again.  I thank Mr Faumuina, Ms Calafiore, Mr Boraston and Mrs Davies for attending the camp.

Congratulations and well done to Aaron Hoogendoorn, Jayden Evans, William Brewer, Henry Clemence, Sandy Norlyng, Max O’Connor and Regan Smith who performed in the Community String Ensemble at the Middle School Concert on Wednesday evening at the newly refurbished West Gippsland Arts Centre.

We also congratulate the Years 5 and 6 Boys Hoop Time team; Lachlan Giliam, William Brewer, Zach Bambridge, Riley McLeod, Caleb Kriesl, Charlie Tsuchida, Harry Vanschyndel and Oliver Wilson who competed in the State Finals on Tuesday.  The boys played really well finishing in the top 10 in the state.  This is a great achievement.  I thank Mr B for coaching the boys and Year 10 students, Lachlan Bambridge and Lachlan Wilson, who assisted with coaching the team throughout the Hoop Time tournaments.

Showing generosity and compassion towards others, once again our SRC have decided that students should support those less fortunate than ourselves instead of having a class Kris Kringle.  Students are encouraged to either bring some money or a gift (suitable for a school aged child) to school over the coming weeks.  All money raised will be donated to OXFAM Unwrapped Christmas Appeal who purchase animals, seeds, medicines and clean water for others at Christmas time.  All gifts will be delivered to a local charity who will distribute them to children in need around the local area.  I thank all families and students who have supported our SRC’s recommendations and all of our local and global fundraising efforts this year.

End of year reports for Prep to Year 5 will be sent home with students next Wednesday while our Year 6s will receive theirs on Thursday.  Please check your child’s bag and contact the Junior School office as soon as possible if it does not make it home.

All of our ELC students who will finish their year with their Night of Celebration next Wednesday evening in the Junior School Gymnasium.  This is a time to reflect and celebrate the wonderful year the children have had with all of our ELC staff.  My thanks to all of the staff, students and families of the ELC for another wonderful year together.  We cannot wait to see what the new outdoor space is going to look like next year!

Our 2019 Junior School Leaders were announced on Monday and I would like to congratulate all of the Year 5s 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 6s will take place at our Presentation Assembly on Wednesday 12 December.  A reminder that this assembly will commence at 9:30 am and will be held in the Secondary School Gymnasium.  Students will return to the Junior School following the assembly and will be free to go home from 11:30 am.  Students remaining at school will be supervised until 3:20 pm.  After school care is available for families who require it (please let Camp Australia know if your child/ren will be attending after school care).  Buses will also run if required.

We will be holding our annual Year 6 Dinner on Monday 10 December, 5:30 pm for a 6:00 pm start.  It is a wonderful night for our Year 6 students and their family.  The students share their highlights of their time in the Junior School and present each other with a certificate of success.  Mr Jim Asimakopoulos OAM, who has worked with our Year 6s throughout the year, will be our guest speaker.  It takes a lot of work and I thank those who have helped to organise this celebration for our students and their families.

THANK YOU
I would like to thank all of the parents and friends who have assisted in our Junior School throughout the year.  Be it helping in the classrooms with reading, Maths and Literacy rotations, as guest speakers, covering books, making costumes, assisting at the Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls, attending excursions, assisting with sports teams, assisting during sports carnivals, attending assemblies, helping in the Kitchen Garden or supporting any of the many activities that take place in our Junior School.  Many of these wonderful events could not happen without your support.  Thanks again everyone.

Thanks to all of the parents who have been involved in FOSTA this year.  Your assistance and continued support of our Junior School is very much appreciated.  Our thanks to Louise Leighton for coordinating FOSTA and Parents Matter in 2018.

I thank all of the teaching and education support staff who have worked with our ELC and Junior School students throughout 2018.  We thank and wish Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Clark all the best as they leave us to take family leave.  I also thank Mrs Davies and Mrs Bramstedt who have filled in for Mrs Leighton while she has been on long service leave this term.  We wish Mr Carter well as he takes extended leave in 2019 and thank Mrs Jayne Price and wish her well with her move to the Traralgon Junior School.  With French being phased out of the Junior School, I thank Mr Sowdon for his work teaching French for the past eighteen months.  This means Japanese will be our standalone language from 2019.

It is also with much sadness that we say goodbye to Ms Karen Price, who tendered her resignation this week.  Karen has been an integral part of our Junior School Family for many years and I know staff, students and families are going to miss her.  Thank you Karen for all that you have done for of us throughout your time in the Junior School.

Thanks also to all of our great support staff, Karen, Cath and Luisa in the office, our maintenance team, our IT department, cleaners, gardener, after school care staff, finance department, admissions Team, HR and marketing team, canteen staff, bus coordinator, performing arts staff, crossing supervisors and all of the staff in the secondary school administration building.

Well done to all of our students for another year full of adventure, fun and learning.  Whilst we have shared many laughs, it is fair to say we have also shed some tears this year and I thank the Junior School community for their support during these difficult times.  I wish all of the Year 6s and the students and staff moving on to other schools, all the very best.

Finally, I wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas, when we get there! and I look forward to seeing you in 2019.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

DECEMBER
3 to 5 December  Year 7 Orientation
4 December  Years 1 to 6 Orientation Day
ELC Celebration Evening
5 December  Prep to Year 5 Reports Distributed
6 December  Prep to Year 6 General Assembly, Junior School Gymnasium, 2:30 pm
Year 6 Reports Distributed
7 December  Years 3 to 5 Swim Trials
Year 6 Community Christmas Concert
10 December  Year 6 Dinner, 5:30 pm for 6:00 pm sharp start
11 December  FOSTA Teachers Breakfast, Junior School Staffroom, 7:00 am to 9:00 am
12 December  Year 6 Presentation Assembly, Secondary School Gymnasium, 9:30 am
(Students are permitted to leave with parents after 11:30 am)
End of 2018 school year, 3:20 pm FINISH

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 2 November 2018 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

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

Valedictory Dinner
On Friday 23 November, we said our final goodbye to the Class of 2018 with the Valedictory Dinner held at Lardner Park.  This is always a special evening but it was made more so for me with the addition of an alumni speaker to the program.  The inaugural Alumni speaker, from the class of 1995, was Dr Elisabeth Wearne who was Valedictorian of her graduating class.  What was extra special for me was that I also graduated from St Paul’s that year and I acted as MC for the evening alongside another student.  Elisabeth was Valedictorian of our year level so to have her return on Friday night, twenty-three years later, to address the current graduates was a powerful addition to this evening.  Elisabeth spoke to the students about “getting used to not knowing stuff” and urged them to “always have courage”.  Her speech was insightful, thought provoking and inspiring.  Congratulations must also go to Class of 2018 Chetan Narayan, who delivered a rousing speech on behalf of his classmates to all of the guests on the evening.  On behalf of the Class of 2018 and the school I would like to thank Ms Christie Bransgrove for orchestrating the entire evening and ensuring that we created an evening that the students will always remember.  We wish our Class of 2018 all the best for their future endeavours and hope, like Elisabeth, they return to speak with us again.

Exams and Early Commencement
The last few weeks have been very busy as students from Years 9 to 11 sat their Semester 2 examinations.  We are very lucky that we can now hold all examinations in the New Building rather than the gymnasium, which offers so many benefits including better temperature control and comfort.  Student behaviour and application during this period was excellent and we were very proud of their efforts.  The same can be said regarding their effort during this first week of Early Commencement.  Despite being tired from a busy term all year levels began Monday in earnest and we are getting a very strong start on our 2019 learning.  We have also welcomed a number of new students to St Paul’s for Early Commencement and we look forward to watching them flourish at St Paul’s.

Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP)
On Thursday 22 November, the annual movie night was held at the Peninsula Cinemas in Warragul.  Students and families enjoyed watching the new release film ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ and supper after the movie.  Our FOSP members have worked tirelessly in 2018 to run events and support our school and we cannot thank them enough.

Exhibition 9
Pots and pans were flying at Exhibition 9 as the much anticipated MasterChef competition commenced in the Miller’s Factory Year 9 Centre.  Our judges certainly had their work cut out for them when deciding upon the winners.  Benjamin Andrews and Anneka Pellett took line honors at this year’s MasterChef event.  The audience was enthralled and delighted by the following “Spectacular” that highlighted the extraordinary talents and learning of our students within the Year 9 Program and elective studies.  Our students shared their leadership, communication and creative abilities in the performances that spellbound the audience.  A particular highlight was a sensitive and heartfelt performance of an original musical composition written and performed by Carly Lavin and her music class.  Exhibition 9 never ceases to amaze as students are nurtured and supported by specialist staff to explore their creative abilities in this annual celebration of their learning and development.

Middle School Concert
I was thrilled to attend the Middle School Concert on Wednesday 28 November in the newly renovated West Gippsland Arts Centre.  It was lovely to be back in this setting and watching our students perform in such a professional venue is great for their confidence.  Thank you to the dedicated Performing Arts team for another successful event.  It has been a big year and their commitment and dedication must be recognised.

Sun Hats and Summer Uniform
Summer is here and so is the sun.  The summer uniform requires a sunhat and students can purchase one from Dobsons if they have misplaced theirs.  Sunhats are not the highest priority for some students.
But did you know…
• Australia has one of the highest rates of melanoma diagnoses in the world.  Two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of seventy.

• In Victoria, more than 90,000 skin cancers are treated each year.  In 2015, five hundred and twelve Victorians died from skin cancer, which is more than twice as many as the state road toll.  It is estimated Victorian public hospitals spend up to $55 million treating skin cancer each year.

But the good news is, almost all skin cancers are preventable.

From http://www.sunsmart.com.au/

• One of the key strategies to prevent melanoma is to protect your skin.  Therefore, if students do not have their sunhat they will be restricted to areas of shade during lunch and recess.  Sunscreen is also available in year level common areas if students require it.

Please ask your child to find their sunhat, name it and bring it to school.

A reminder that students should also be wearing white sports socks without logos for sport, natural make up that cannot be recognised (if any) and boys must be clean shaven at all times.  We pride ourselves on our high standards but also creating an environment where our students know what the expectations are and are challenged to abide by them, like they will be, in many settings post their secondary education.

Padlocks
All students require a school issued padlock on their locker and lockers should be kept locked at all times.  Can parents please ensure your child brings their locks back for the start of 2019 if they have not done so during Early Commencement.

Presentation Evening 2018
The final event on the school calendar is the Presentation Evening, which will be held on Wednesday 12 December at 7:00 pm in the gymnasium.  All students are expected to attend and family members are invited to join them. We appreciate your support and look forward to you joining us on the night.

Pastoral Care in 2019
I am pleased to announce the following staff will be in charge of the social, emotional and academic needs of our year levels in 2019:

Mrs Leonie Clark
Head of Year 7 and Deputy Head of Warragul Secondary School

Mrs Andrea Heard
Acting Head of Year 8
(Term 1)

Mr Scott Armour
Head of Year 8
(from Term 2 onwards)

Ms Coralie Pyman
Head of Year 9

Mrs Age Percy
Head of Year 10

Mr Brad Kooloos
Head of Year 11

Mr Ben Zanella
Head of Year 12

Please do not hesitate to contact any of these staff if you have a concern.  They can be emailed via MyStPauls or please call through to the school on 5623 5833.

This is the final Grammarian for 2018.  We have had a wonderful year at St Paul’s and both students and staff have worked hard right to the end of the year.  Each Head of Year will email a letter in January, before school begins, which will include key information for Term 1.  I hope all of our families enjoy a relaxing and safe festive season and summer break and I will look forward to seeing you all in the new year.

Ms Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

NOVEMBER
24 November to 11 December  Rwanda Tour
26 November to 7 December  Early Commencement – 2019 Year 11 and Year 12
26 November to 12 December  Early Commencement – 2019 Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10
30 November to 15 January  French Exchange Students on Tour

DECEMBER
1 December  VEIS Boneo Park Dressage and Combined Training Day
3 December  National Chess Finals
3 to 5 December  2019 Year 7 Orientation 
7 December  Final day of classes for the 2019 Years 11 and 12 students
World Challenge Pool Party, Warragul Leisure Centre,  4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
10 December  Warragul Secondary School Student Leaders Workshop
12 December  Final day for the 2019 Year 8 through to Year 10 students
Presentation Evening, 7:00 pm, Gymnasium

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 2 November 2018 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

NOTICE TO PARENTS 2019 Digital Distribution of Reports

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School will soon begin distributing formal Secondary School Student Reports via the MyStPauls portal.  Commencing with the 2019 Semester 1 Reports, this modern and environmentally friendly form of digital distribution will allow for more convenient access to your child’s semester reports.  We believe that parents will find it easier to cross-reference their child’s results with the comments and ongoing feedback that were issued by teachers over the course of the semester.  Past reports (2013 to 2017) will also be made available to download via access to an online archive.

In order to assist parents with the transition to digital reports, the School will happily mail out a hardcopy report, if requested.  Instructions as to how parents will be able access reports via the portal will be sent out in 2019 and staff will be made available to attend to any troubleshooting matters that may emerge.

James Avram
Director of Learning and Teaching

CHRISTMAS AND TIME LORDS

Time is the one thing we all seem to be short of at Christmas.  Actually all year!  In today’s lightning-speed culture of news, technology, work, demands of daily duties and children’s activities, there never seems to be enough time to stay on top of everything.  Perhaps this partially explains the renewed popularity of ‘Doctor Who’ – a Time Lord with a Tardis that can travel through time.  How much more manageable would life be if we could time-travel (although I am not sure that the Doctor’s various companions would agree!).

Have you noticed that even in real life time seems to operate differently depending on the circumstances?  In the midst of a boring task, time travels remarkably slowly but, as the saying goes, time seems to fly when fun is being had.  Things get really interesting when two people experience the same moments in time in a completely different way.  As most parents would know, children often have little concept of the passing of time.  Warnings like, “you have ten minutes left to finish your dinner” or “We are leaving in five minutes so you need to be dressed and ready” seem to fall on deaf ears as the child continues to sing, dance, read or play merrily.  For the child in this moment it feels like there is all the time in the world.  For the parent, time is short and action is needed!  The reverse is true on a long car trip with a child.  For the child, every five minutes feels like an hour – hence the frequent cry of “are we there yet?”

I wonder if this is what it is like for God.  We rush around, trapped by the constraints of time and constantly asking God, “how much longer?” or “Why now?”  While God, who stands outside of time, sees things from a very different perspective.  And yet, at the heart of Christian faith is the idea that the God of eternity stepped into human history and allowed himself to be bound as we are by time.  In the person of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, God became fully human and entered into our messy, busy, time constrained world in order to bring a hope that transcends all time.

So in those moments when you are exhausted from the Christmas rush, take a moment to remember and consider the offer Jesus makes: “Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you will recover your life.  I will show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I will not lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you will learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas.

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

An invitation to a time of remembering and being thankful for those we have lost

Christmas is often a time when families gather together to celebrate.  Unfortunately, for many families there may also be a touch of sadness at the absence of a family member who has passed away or is separated in some way by distance or circumstance.  For some in our school community this Christmas will be the first one without that special person.  Often it can be helpful to take some time to pause, remember and give thanks for those who will not be with us in person this Christmas.

Staff and students from Years 5 to 12 are invited to attend a short service of commemoration and thanksgiving for those who are no longer with us.  This service is open to people of all faiths and none.  There will be opportunities to participate in reflective acts such as candle lighting, or you may choose to simply use the time for your own personal reflection.  While the services are intended primarily for staff and students, parents are welcome to attend.

Service of commemoration and thanksgiving for those who are no longer with us
Wednesday 5 December, 1:00 pm in the Warragul Secondary School Science Centre Lecture Theatre
Friday 7 December, 12:50 pm in the Salvation Army Building

Jacqui Lyons,
Class of 1987

Jacqui Lyons started at St Paul’s in Year 7 in the foundation year of 1982, with only twenty-four students in the Sunday School rooms at the back of the church.

Today Jacqui is a music teacher at St Paul’s and she remembers the early days of St Paul’s when the school was just starting, using the Sunday School’s furniture, making their own lockers and bringing their own sports equipment.  She even remembers that they had to make their own weaving loom before they could weave!  When we asked her what stood out the most during those times she said it was the sense of community and family.

“The thing that stands out the most from when we were there was that it was all about the community, it was not about the resources, because we did not have any.  It was all about people working together, it was like being home schooled in a big family.  We had to bring our sport equipment ourselves, it had to be communicated if we were going to do sports the next day, so it was all about relying on each other.”

Her strongest memory was being at the church rooms.  “There was only one class with one teacher, Ken Wilson.  Alan Russell would come in one day and Des Parker would come in for three days.  Ken was responsible for teaching everything including Russian!  Pat Dent was also there in the first year and many parents would come in to school and help out.”

Jacqui remembers that the sense of community extended beyond the classroom.  “We would go out and cater on a Saturday night, the parents and the students, to raise money for the school.  We would fundraise with parents and cater for social functions for people in the community.”

Jacqui has always had an interest in music having started learning the violin in Grade 1 at the age of six, because at the time her “friend was doing it” but then she realised “it was her thing”.  She had always played through primary school and in ensembles.  At St Paul’s, as the school was small, she did a lot of her music through correspondence, but does remember the development of the Performing Arts within the school.

“We did not have a full music program, everything was mainly external, but we did have a choir run by Joyce Parker with six kids in the first year and we performed at the eisteddfod.  I also remember the musical about ‘Jonah and The Whale’ where the main lead had broken his arm roller skating earlier that day, but he still performed in the show that night.  As the school went on there was the ‘Mikado’ and ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and I remember Des Parker and Joyce Parker taking the lead roles as there was such a small population of students.”

Jacqui also remembers the Language Program in the early days of St Paul’s which was supervised by Andrea Truckenbrodt who had a strong affiliation with the Goethe-Institut in Germany.  Jacqui also found the international tour to Germany was really beneficial for her studies of German in Year 12.

“Much like the St Paul’s French and Japan Study tours of today, in 1986 we went to Germany with three of weeks school at the Goethe-Institut in Bavaria and then a week with a host family in Berlin.  This was definitely a time of personal growth and it encouraged us to venture out of our small town.  It was very beneficial for our German and really set a positive tone for coming back and completing Year 12 with a new level of enthusiasm.  The Goethe-Institut ran the tour and the school joined their tour, all facilitated by Andrea through the school.”

When we asked Jacqui about her teachers she said “Rob Devling was probably the most significant role model for me, he was very empowering.  He was a great influence in learning about self and growing a sense of identity.”

“We went to a ski camp and Rob’s brother, a psychodrama therapist who provided some psychodrama workshops relating to identify and self which, at the time, was one of our themes in English.  This camp was really good for me because I was not confident at all, even though people thought I was.  Rob’s teaching focus would have been the equivalent to Year 9 Program now with a focus on personal growth”.

Throughout her secondary years she remembers other staff such as Marilyn Davidson, Kerry Milner and, Gary Prime and Gary Cumming who still teach at St Paul’s today.

“It was a good fun, time.  In secondary school at St Paul’s, I do not ever remember having a day that I thought I did not want to go to school.”

After graduating from St Paul’s Jacqui dropped music for her first year of university and studied German Language/Literature, Japanese and Linguistics.  She took a break from this to work in Finance at the Head Office of airline, Ansett.

She then decided to pursue her music and completed her music degree at Monash University as a double major with German Language and Literature.  At this stage she really wanted to pursue Music Therapy, but there were not any positions available, so she started nursing at Monash University – but that did not go so well as she realised that she fainted at the sight of blood!

Jacqui then started instrumental teaching at St Paul’s in 1996 and even took on the shared job of Music Secretary in the St Paul’s Performing Arts department, a job she shared with Prue Vermay.  During this time Jacqui was able to complete her Diploma of Education.  A position opened at Warragul North Primary School and Jacqui taught music there for sixteen years, having her children in the meantime.

When asked what she likes the most about her job she said “What I love the most and I am lucky I can do this because I teach across both schools, is that I can see the students grow – I have contact with them their entire schooling career, I watch them grow from Prep to secondary and I have been able to see this across a couple of generations stemming from my teaching at Warragul North.”

“I also love seeing students who have struggled to find their strength, finally find something they like.  It gives them a sense of belonging and purpose.  For some kids it is sport and for others if they can just immerse themselves in their instrument, it changes their whole direction and pathway – I love how music has the power to do that.  It may not always be their focus, but it can become an outlet and a stress relief.”

Jacqui has for many years, been involved with the Community Strings group which is open to all members of the community to play in a relaxed environment as a way to develop their skills in the company of fellow string players.

“I really love the Community Strings.  I have run this group over the past twenty years and eventually the program was incorporated into the St Paul’s Performing Arts Department.  We have people of all ages from Preps through to parents who attend, we have entire families who participate.”

She feels the group really does bring the community together. “I love watching the students bond when they have nothing else in common except for their music and then all of a sudden they mesh together and it just works.”

She has even developed a mentoring program within the Community Strings where the senior students mentor a primary student and are responsible for everything from their music; to setting them up; to sitting with them at the rehearsal; to spending time with them to help them learn their part if they need to.  “I have seen really reserved students who take on a mentoring role and metamorphose into these amazing human beings, flourishing with this sense of responsibility – it is really helpful for me too!”

“I will say to the students that if you can teach it, you know it and if you do not know it, then how are you going to teach it?  It is good for their own musicality and their own skill development.”

At St Paul’s Jacqui is currently the Orchestral Strings Coordinator, a Year 7 Mentor Teacher, a Years 7 to 9 Music Teacher, the Warragul Campus Year 2 Strings Program teacher and she also runs the Senior Ensemble, the Chamber Ensemble and two Community Strings ensembles.  She also currently teaches a number of instrumental students through the St Paul’s Performing Arts Co-curricular Program!  Jacqui is also the Vice-President of the St Paul’s Alumni Association.

When we asked Jacqui about what she likes about St Paul’s she said “What I like is the sense of respect between everybody.  People will respect each other for what their strengths are and will support each other trying something a little bit different, or a bit out of their comfort zone.  There is a sense of acceptance”.

What Jacqui finds to be the most challenging is “not having enough time” with rehearsals before school, teaching during the day and teaching after school.  “I am lucky and I do love what I do.  I like the constant contact and I like being busy.  I have always been a bit busy so this suits me and keeps me engaged.”

Outside of work Jacqui loves spending time with her family, running around with her children to their sports or co-curricular commitments.  After a recent hit on the green, she is thinking about maybe taking up golf again.  “One day when my work commitments change, I think I will reconnect with golf.  I played before I had children – I find it completely frustrating, but it is great exercise and I like the challenge!”

Our 2019 Warragul Year 9 students commenced in their new facility this week, moving back to the main campus.  The Year 9 Program began at the Bowen Street site in 2005 and moved to Miller’s Factory in Sutton Street during the year.  There were a number of staff who were involved in the inception of the program and whose vision created a structure for student learning and pastoral care that still exists, within largely the same framework, thirteen years later.  They were:  Jenny Muir – Head of Middle School, Brenden Morris – Head of Year 9, Tony Allen, Christie Bransgrove, Marilyn Davidson, Tracey Eastwood, Joel Glowinski, Di Olsson, Michelle Roberts, Heidrun Sandner, Kylie Sinclair, Belinda (Binny) Slate and Felicity Williams.

In 2005 there were six classes of Year 9 and the building was used to capacity.  With the development of the St Paul’s Traralgon Secondary School, that number has reduced to three or four classes in recent years, allowing for capacity at Bowen Street again and reuniting our Year 9s with the resources, co-curricular opportunities and sporting facilities of the main campus, along with the very important reunion with the canteen.  We hope the Year 9s of 2018 enjoy the distinction of being the last cohort at the Miller’s Factory and are looking forward to their time in Year 10, in the John McIntyre Centre.

As this is the final Grammarian for the year, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate our students on their achievements during 2018.  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.  The importance of cooperation between parents, staff and students is often mentioned by educators, but it can never be overemphasised.  We are fortunate indeed at St Paul’s to have an abundance of supportive, cooperative families.  For this, we are very grateful.

‘Early Commencement’ was the flavour of this week for our secondary students, with next year’s classes now well underway.  This places a fair degree of pressure on our staff, but they largely handle the extra workload with a minimum of fuss and 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 also extremely grateful.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the Christian season of Advent.  It is my hope that, amidst the barrage of advertising and consumerism that dominates 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 prevail.

I wish everyone in our community a very happy, holy Christmas and a wonderful 2019.

Cameron Herbert
Principal