In this issue

· Sibling Enrolments
· House Swimming Carnival
· SchoolTV
· Year 7 2023 Information Evening

Grammarian Issue 2, 25 February 2022

Traralgon Junior School

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

Dear Families,

What a wonderful beginning to the school year. It is hard to believe we are already finishing Week 4! I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting classrooms and seeing happy and engaged faces as students have settled into routines and their learning programs. Students have been very enthusiastic about sharing icy poles and a little squirt of the hose to cool down on very hot days too!

Congratulations to all of our students who competed at the District Swim Carnival last week. Everyone did their very best and can be proud of their efforts. We had a group of excited students qualify for the Division Championships this week. Despite some tough competition, our students showed up with determination and resilience and swam the best they possibly could with the following students progressing to the Regional competition in two week’s time: Nik Hector, Jayden Tran, Angela Guo, Anson Law, Isabella Slocombe, Phoebe Balcombe, Stella O’Mara, Thomas Pendergast, Tokio Miki, Alexandra O’Brien and Cooper Beckman. Congratulations and well done to all swimmers.

Last Friday, Magician Tim Ellis, visited our Junior School students and we were treated to a special magic show which was just what we all needed to finish the hot and busy week. Tim mesmerised our students with his rope tricks, mind reading, card tricks and disappearing acts. The faces of our students (and teachers) were as entertaining as the magic! The finale of the show saw a very brave Bailey volunteer to go on stage and participate in the illusion of being sawn in half!

Thank you to all of the parents who attended the Prep to Year 2 Parent Information Session this week. It was really lovely to have parents on-site and to be able to show off classrooms and for teachers to share information about their year level and learning expectations. For any families who were unable to attend, teachers have posted their PowerPoint presentations on MyStPauls for you to access and you are most welcome to contact teachers with any questions. The Years 3 to 6 Parent Information will be held next Monday 28 February and we hope to see lots of parents on the night.

Year 5 Camp to Sovereign Hill has been enormously successful. Students have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the gold rush times and all of the associated activities, gold panning, dressing up, visiting the mines, Eureka Stockade, visiting the lolly shop, watching candles being made at the candle factory, the blacksmith and the bakery. So many wonderful experiences for our students. Many thanks to our teachers, Julia Cullen, Jade Hosken, Glen Treble and Karen Ashworth, for all of their preparations and for taking such great care of our students. We are looking forward to hearing about everyone’s adventures when they return to school.

Coming up next week we have three exciting events and it is with great delight that I am able to invite parents to join us for Pancake Races on Tuesday, our School Athletics Carnival on Wednesday and clean up Australia Day on Friday afternoon. Further details will be shared with parents shortly. We are so looking forward to sharing our special events and learning with parents, in person, once again.

Classroom reflections

Early Learning Centre
The Early Learning Centre has enjoyed an amazing start to the 2022 Year with our four groups and the introduction of the Little Lorikeets Playgroup.

The children are settling into programs with great resilience and independence; carrying their own bags and following routines. We have begun the year with many experiences to allow the children to become familiar with the programs and with water play a favourite being fully explored in many ways. Please ensure you always pack a spare set of clothes for your child.

The Pre-Prep groups had a visit from Brandon from Wildlife Xposure. He delivered an exceptional educational program showcasing a unique and diverse range of native Australian wildlife up close, with a specific ecological focus such as Recycling and looking after the environment; picking up rubbish before it gets into our rivers and covering a range of study topics and learning levels that align with the Early Years Framework. The engaging, exciting, action-packed presentation provided the opportunity to explore, experience and learn about wildlife firsthand. We had the opportunity to hold, touch and learn some interesting facts. The children showed great skill in concentrating and reflected on the experience with great detail.

Visual Art
PREP students have had a learning focus on shape and colour. We dipped balloons into paint and used them to print and mark our designs. The following week we added more geometric markings in gold paint.
YEAR 4 students have been learning about value in relation to colour. We did lots of experimentation in tinting with white and shading with black. Our students then used the paint they mixed to make backgrounds. The following week we used iPads to find silhouettes, drew them into their journals and traced and transferred their drawings onto their backgrounds.
YEAR 6 students extended their skills in line drawing when they created Signature Aliens. If you look closely at them sideways, you can see the students’ names.

Prep
Our new Prep students have settled in very well and are enjoying the independence of being big school children. They have been learning many routines and rules and getting to know the school playground. Last week, they went on a hunt for the ‘Green Sheep.’ After reading the story by Mem Fox, they discovered the Green Sheep was missing from the last page! After a hunt around the school to find clues, the students eventually ended up at the Prep rooms where the Green Sheep was waiting for them with a craft activity to complete.

Year 1
It has been a busy first few weeks in Year 1. Students have been gathering lots of information about the brain in our Learning to Learn unit called ‘Mind Your Brain’. Students have worked hard to identify and name the parts of the brain. They have developed their understanding of how our brains send messages around the body. They have also explored how the amount of sleep they get; their food choices and overall hydration levels can impact their readiness to learn new things.

Year 2
What a start to 2022! In Year 2, we have been busy establishing garden beds to grow some vegetables as part of our ‘Garden to Plate’ unit. We have explored different regions of the brain and learnt about the importance of neurons. Recently, we have started our Buddies program with the Year 6 students. It was so wonderful to watch our Year 6 and Year 2 students interact and read with one another. We are all very excited about our next session!

Year 3
Years 3 to 6 students have been working on their athletics skills in preparation for the Athletics Carnival on 2 March. During these rotations, the children also took part in Tug Of War. Year 3B and 3C enjoyed this session.

Year 4
In Year 4, the students have been learning about taking care of our amazing brains. They have immersed themselves in tasks that have allowed them to explore the different parts of the brain and how they learn. The students thoroughly enjoyed making models of the brain, as well as the information processing model. From this, they have realised the importance of regularly reviewing new areas of learning, so as to commit these to their long-term memory.

Year 5
As part of their integrated studies, students have been ‘Learning to Learn’. They have been learning about the key parts of the brain and the function of each of these parts. Dissecting the brain of a sheep gave all students the opportunity to explore these parts in greater detail. Students investigated the way our brains process information and how we move learning from our short-term to our long-term memory. Students have also investigated the importance of caring for their own brains and know that sleep and a healthy lifestyle are vital for learning. Students are preparing to ‘Be the Teacher’ and are planning their own lessons using a simple “I do, we do, you do” approach to make connections with the way they learn. We cannot wait to see each of our students take on the teacher role!

Year 6
Year 6 students this year have had a flying start! Nerves. Smiles. Excitement. Laughter.

It has been so valuable to spend time together building shared expectations of what our learning environment needs to look, sound and feel like to allow everyone to be successful. We have focused much of our time on our Learning to Learn unit and this has allowed our students to develop a deeper understanding of what they require, how they will be proactive in their learning and what they will do when challenged. Throughout our learning, the brain has been our focus. How exactly does it work? Well, through a range of experiences our Year 6 students will be able to give you a detailed rundown of the various parts of the brain and their roles. The highlight of this learning was being able to dissect a sheep’s brain and identify these parts. We have learnt about neurons, brain care, hydration and the importance of sleep. Finally, to piece our learning together we have unpacked how the brain processes information to move it from the short-term to long-term memory. While the puzzle may not be technically ‘complete’, our students now have a thorough understanding of this process and know the importance of retrieving, rehearsing and applying what they have been learning, while showing a growing understanding of why we do what we do and when we do it, as teachers.

Our Year 6 student leaders have eagerly jumped into their roles and are showing their dedication to supporting the Junior School in a variety of ways. The Sports Shed, FOSP Shop and Art Room have all received a beginning of year ‘sort’ and are ready for our students to utilise resources and spaces. There are many exciting new ideas that the students are looking forward to sharing as the year moves forwards. We will be attending The Summit on Friday 11 March to further develop our teamwork and leadership skills and look forward to all the opportunities the year ahead holds.

Year 7 2023 Information Evening
Year 6 is an important link in the transitional stage between Junior and Secondary School. At St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, we focus strongly on fostering the social, emotional and academic skills necessary for a successful transition to Year 7 students, along with leadership, independence, organisation and time management to prepare our students for the rigours of Secondary School.

In addition to our Junior School activities, Year 6 students participate in a range of transition events led by the St Paul’s Secondary School team. These transition events are designed to offer opportunities for familiarisation, orientation and socialisation of students. Each Year 6 student is a unique individual and the Secondary School team spends time getting to know students and their families and building positive relationships. Along with ensuring social and emotional needs are met throughout the transition program, academic needs are also considered and information is shared between teachers, schools and parents.

To begin the Transition Program to St Paul’s Secondary School Traralgon, an Information Evening is being held for parents on Wednesday 9 March at 7:00 pm. Following this information evening, students will be invited to participate in the transition program events which will include Welcome Interviews, Friendship Morning, school visits, a three-day Orientation Program and Peer Support Camp.

Transitioning to secondary schooling is an exciting time in your child’s educational journey. Participation in an effective transition program can alleviate concerns or anxiety and reassure students and parents. I encourage all Year 6 families to attend this information evening to find out what is so special about Year 7 at St Paul’s and to begin your child’s transition.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

FEBRUARY
28 February Years 3 to 6 Parent Information Evening, 7:00 pm

MARCH
1 March Shrove Tuesday Pancake Races Day
Prep to Year 2 Parent Session – Learning to Read, 7:00 pm
2 March Athletics Carnival
4 March Clean Up Australia School Day
9 March Year 7 2023 Information Evening
11 March Year 6 Leadership Day, The Summit
15 to 18 March Year 6 Urban Camp
17 March Regional Swimming Championships (selected students)
ELC and Prep Discovery Morning
22 March District Athletics
23 March Parent Student Teacher Interviews (PSTIs), 3:45 pm to 8:00 pm
24 March Parent Student Teacher Interviews (PSTIs), 3:45 pm to 6:00 pm

APRIL
1 April Family Fun Night, 6:00 pm
8 April Easter Service
End of Term 1, dismissal 2:20 pm

* Please note that all events/excursions are dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.
* TBC – to be confirmed.

DOBSONS TRADING HOURS

Please note that some COVIDSafe procedures may still apply. We thank you for your cooperation.

Order online or click and collect: Please ensure that you only attend the store to collect your items once you have received notification that your order is ready, order here.

ENROLMENTS REMINDER

The Enrolments team would like to remind families who plan for their next child to commence at St Paul’s in 2023 that enrolment application forms should be submitted prior to the end of Term 1. As the School currently has waiting lists at a number of year levels, please submit an enrolment application at your earliest opportunity to ensure all children in your family have a place on the School’s Enrolment Register. Please note that a separate Enrolment Application is required for each child.

Online Enrolment Application is available via the following link to our website: https://stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/enrolment/enrolling-at-st-pauls/ or you can collect a hard copy Enrolment Pack from the school.

Please contact our Enrolments Office on 5175 0133 if you have questions about enrolment at St Paul’s, or if you would like to arrange a tour of the ELC, Junior or Secondary School.

(Current families, please note that enrolment at St Paul’s is continuous from the point of entry until the end of Year 12, and your child’s place in the next year level is automatically allocated; you do not need to submit an enrolment application for your child to transition to the next stage of their schooling at St Paul’s).

LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG DREAMS

The Library staff believe that the students at St Paul’s should dream big when it comes to their aspirations for the future. To encourage them to do that and get them to read we have recently purchased a large selection of ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ books. These books let the students “discover the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. These people “all…achieved incredible things… Told as a story, with a facts and photos section at the back, they “celebrate triumph over adversity…” and a lovely to read alone or with an adult to guide them.

Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Outside School Hours Care Educator required for Traralgon and Warragul Campuses.
Perfect for parents with children attending St Paul’s.

For further information about our popular program please call Cath on 0414 861 442.

Cath Stoney
Founder and Director
Club House Boot Camp

FINANCE NEWS

• Annual Fee Account
Families have recently received via email an annual fee account for 2022. If you have any queries in relation to your annual fee account, please contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833. As detailed on the second page of the account, payment options are:

Direct Debit
All families are encouraged to participate in the School’s direct debit payment arrangement.

We offer fortnightly instalments (22 payments) on Wednesdays or Fridays commencing 4 February and Monthly instalments (10 payments) commencing 15 February 2022.

Other direct debit payment dates are also available by arrangement.

Should families wish to commence payment by Direct Debit, please contact Mr Peter Lees, accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au as soon as possible to set up an arrangement.

Please find the direct debit form on the School website at this link, https://stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/enrolment/school-fees/

Instalments (due dates)
Instalment 1 – 11 February 2022
Instalment 2 – 8 April 2022
Instalment 3 – 3 June 2022
Instalment 4 – 12 August 2022

Payment in Full
A discount of $320 per child, from Prep to Year 12, is offered to families if the annual invoice is paid in full by 18 February 2022.

• Private Car Conveyance Allowance
Families driving students more than 4.8 kilometres to attend St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School may be eligible to receive a conveyance allowance. For further information on the eligibility criteria and application process, please refer to, https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/conveyance-allowance/policy

Eligible families applying for the car conveyance allowance will have funds credited to their fee account during the year. If the fee account has been paid in full, or is on a direct debit arrangement, any allocation will show as a credit on the following year’s invoice.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
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. Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply. $125 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $225 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

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately. The CSEF program for 2022 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 15 June 2022 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2021 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2022), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2021 to 2022 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

Grammarian Issue 2, 25 February 2022

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

Lifelong friendships and community connections
Gosh, what a whirlwind the last week has been for the students, staff and no doubt, our Traralgon families! Many of our students attended the annual House Swimming Carnival at the Moe Outdoor Pool. While attendance was down a little from previous years due to the change for 2022 to a non-compulsory event, those who did attend had a simply brilliant time.

The weather was truly spectacular as students plunged into the depths of the invigorating water and dug deep to ‘power’ their way to the end of the pool. A contagious energy and competitive mindset engulfed our students as they not only swam to earn a point for their house, but to claim a coloured ribbon for themselves. Any colour would do, green, red or the highly prized blue! New friendships were established, and old ones renewed as our two campuses came together for the first time in far too long at this combined campus event. The gravity of these significant events and opportunities is certainly not lost on me. If the last two years have taught us anything, it is that we need to grasp these moments with both hands, live in the moment and hold these memories close to our hearts. We must acknowledge the work of our Heads of Sport Mrs Sandra Timmer-Arends at Traralgon Secondary School and Ms Melissa Hoskings at Warragul Secondary School. Our combined Heads of Houses also provided fabulous energy and highly decorated and rather festive house spaces as well as a shaded place to retreat from the sun.

Year 7 Peer Support Camp at Rumbug
Last week our outstanding and very impressive Year 7 cohort attended their very first secondary school camp nestled into the particularly steep inclines of Foster, overlooking the exquisite Wilson’s Promontory National Park, at Camp Rumbug. It filled my heart and conversely terrified me somewhat, to see our tiniest students bravely swinging from majestic gum trees, supported by sturdy harnesses high above the forest floor. I watched in awe as our Year 7 students confidently paddled in canoes, breaking the surface with their tentative strokes and coating themselves in the earth while grappling their way through the ‘survivor activities’ on the mud run. Immense gratitude is extended to Mr Andrew McGrath Head of Year 7 and Year 8, Ms Kirsten Enders, Ms Kara Kimberley and Mrs Sandra Timmer-Arends for caring for our students, for their endless encouragement and genuine care for every single child as they pushed themselves in new environments and forged new friendships while making lifelong memories. Special acknowledgement and thanks is also extended to our magnificent Year 10 Peer Support Leaders who were simply outstanding as they gently nurtured their younger peers and provided additional support, security, advice as well as inspired leadership for our Year 7 students.

Lifelong Friendships
The making of and keeping of friendships is of the utmost importance to all of our students at St Paul’s. After all, all any child wants and needs to be able to flourish at school is to feel accepted, known and cared for in our community. We know that cohorts in which students feel safe, happy, connected and supported achieve higher academic results as they are wonderful environments in which children and families can truly thrive. We thank our families for continuing to encourage their children to accept difference, embrace diversity and warmly welcome our new families into our community at Traralgon. I absolutely love that our students feel safe, are free to make friendships and that they have opportunities to make mistakes and grow with maturity throughout the journey that is adolescence.

Should your child have a difficult moment, as we know that they will from time to time, particularly as they learn to respond appropriately to different social settings; always give the situation time to settle. Social difficulties are always managed with greater wisdom after a sound night of sleep rather than in the heat of the moment. Continue to reinforce and encourage respectful and compassionate communication in person and/or over social media. Remind them to only post comments online that they would be proud to show to a future employer. Encourage your child to seek understanding and to be understood when communicating with others, encourage them to work things through rather than isolating or ignoring others, as although this might seem a sound solution, it is far more effective to thoroughly ‘clear the air’ to ensure that it does not resurface at a later date. Role model with your child strategies to unpack situations with acceptance and care, while considering the perspective of other parties with empathy and forgiveness. Although at times, it is very difficult for parents to step back from social complexities, particularly when their own child is in the midst of what seems like an all-consuming state of affairs, it is imperative that we provide students with the opportunity to learn to negotiate social situations on their own with wisdom and maturity.

These ‘slightly bumpy’ moments are quite normal in adolescence and are significant developmental milestones as well as opportune moments in which we can reinforce our school community values while supporting our children to hone clear, open, honest, independent and respectful life-long communication skills. Our staff have many years of experience in supporting adolescent students through social complexities and we will intervene to support students to make sound choices and decisions to support their personal growth. Please do reach out to your child’s Mentor or Head of Year should you need to run something past them or talk something through, as we are only too happy to assist our students and their families to find a way through the inevitable ups and downs that is the unpredictable and exhilarating journey throughout adolescence.

Air Conditioners, Fans and QR Codes
We are winding back some of the previous restrictions in line with government advice as soon as we are informed of the changes. We are very pleased to advise that we are now able to use air conditioners, as well as fans, providing there is plenty of ventilation, this is a huge relief to students and staff. In addition, parents and guardians are no longer required to QR code to enter buildings and events but will still need to show evidence of vaccination.

Year 7 2023 Information Evening
We are very excited to advise that we will be hosting our Year 7 Information Evening on Wednesday 9 March. Tours of the Secondary School will commence at 6:00 pm and 6:15 pm with formalities and a presentation to families at 7:00 pm. We warmly welcome the opportunity to meet with any families in the Latrobe Valley and beyond who may be considering St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School for their Year 7 child in 2023 at our Traralgon Campus.

Please contact Reception on 5175 9222 or click HERE to register for catering purposes as a light refreshment will be provided.

Years 7 and 10 Immunisations
A reminder that on Tuesday 1 March, Years 7 and 10 students will receive their vaccinations as per the immunisation schedule. The following vaccinations will be delivered per year level:
Year 7
• Gardasil 9 – Human Papillomavirus (HPV), 2 dose course, 6 months apart*
• Boostrix – Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (whooping cough) booster, 1 dose
**Year 7 students will receive their second dose of HPV on Tuesday 4 October.

Year 10
• Nimenrix – Meningococcal ACWY, one dose.

Please note that in accordance with the latest advice from DHHS, students are no longer required to have a seven-day interval between the COVID-19 and HPV vaccination.

On the day of the vaccination, students are permitted to wear the School’s sport uniform to help with comfort and the administration of the vaccination. All students are encouraged to have breakfast before school that morning. They should also speak with their Head of Year if they are feeling a little anxious.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School