In this issue

From the Head of Warragul Secondary School,
Mrs Debbie Cameron.

Full circle
What an experience it was to listen to the exceptionally talented young voice of Holly Davidson singing ‘Six Hours as a Princess’ with Chris Staben accompanying her. Again, I was absolutely blown away by the talent and courage displayed in this moment, and my heart was full by the display of support from her teacher who stepped up to make that performance all that it could be for the audience, choosing not to use the backing track but rather play live for the full effect. The interaction and subsequent meetings of both Holly’s mother and grandmother following the assembly reminded me of the depth of connection and history that St Paul’s has, and its values. It was such a special moment to have Holly’s grandmother, Marilyn Davidson, in the audience supporting her. Marilyn is a former staff member of St Paul’s.

As part of my address to the school community, I read out loud the school values that appear above my head across the top of the stage. Wisdom, Integrity, Compassion and Respect. I relayed that I have seen so many lived values here at St Paul’s since starting here, and that what has been most encouraging for me to see, is the support that this school community has for each other through the good days and the challenging days.
Over the past fortnight, we have had our House Swimming and Athletics Carnivals, Year 9 Urban Experiences, SEISA sports and many more events taking place. All again amazing opportunities for our young people and staff to build connections.

Year 7 2025 Information Evening
This week we had the opportunity to welcome and speak to the parents and students of our 2025 Year 7 students here at St Paul’s. It was a lovely evening that showcased all that we have to offer our families. Many current Year 7 students, Prefects and Year 9 Community Ambassadors took tours and then interacted with the students whilst the parents heard from the leadership team. We look forward to welcoming new families to St Paul’s in 2025.

Open Day 2024 – a great opportunity
St Paul’s annual Open Day will be held on Saturday 4 May 2024. Traditionally, Open Day is seen as an opportunity for prospective families to tour a school and assess its suitability for their child. At St Paul’s, we also encourage our current families, especially those with a student in Year 9 through to Year 12, to think of Open Day as a chance to begin to consider pathways for senior years of study.

At our Open Day, each faculty has an allocated space where they promote the subjects that they offer, and display resources, textbooks, novels and work samples. All teaching staff are available to speak with families directly and we would like to encourage families to use Open Day to begin the subject selection process for 2025.

Although it feels like next year is a long way off, in reality, the course selection process begins in Term 2 as Course Guides are produced and sessions in our Pastoral Programs focus on future planning and careers.

Open Day on Saturday 4 May is the perfect time to start learning about the different subjects on offer and is the ideal opportunity to start posing questions to staff about the content of each course, the assessment involved, along with general queries about whether or not the course of study will be the right choice for your student.

Many universities, TAFEs and independent colleges offer campus tours during the Easter break.  A great way to start thinking about the year ahead would be to tour the prospective post-secondary institution and then attend Open Day to learn more about the subjects that would lead to the courses that your child is interested in.

Subject selection for 2025 will occur in August but this process always feels as though it has come around quite quickly and decisions can be made in a rushed manner if students are not organised.  By attending Open Day, you will begin those conversations and the thinking around subjects much earlier, which will lead to more informed decision-making when the time comes to submit subject preferences.

Open Day is also a chance for families to learn more about the latest changes at the School. Many parents and carers may not have had the opportunity to explore the school for a number of years, may not know or remember the co-curricular activities on offer and may simply enjoy the chance to chat with long-standing or new members of staff.  It is wonderful to have the chance to come together to appreciate all that our school has to offer at an event such as this.

We are delighted to welcome all members of the St Paul’s community including current and past families to join us on Open Day – see you on Saturday 4 May.

Allergy AWARE
The St Paul’s Secondary Schools, unlike our allergy-free Junior Schools, are allergy aware. This means that we do not completely ban allergens at school because our students are at an age where they can self-manage their allergies and those students without allergies are able to learn to be conscious of those who do and careful with the food that they consume at school.

When on excursions or camps we always ask that any food or snacks that students bring are allergy-free because the locations of those activities may mean that medical assistance is not readily available. You will see a request to ensure all snacks and food are allergy-free each time you consent to an activity on Consent2Go.

Our canteen does sell some items that contain a known allergen. These foods are clearly labelled and include:

·  Fried Rice
·  Chicken Caesar Salad
·  Egg Sandwich
·  Egg and Bacon Roll
·  Chicken Schnitzel Roll (breadcrumbs)
·  Beef Patties.

A number of baked items may also contain traces of egg and these are labelled.

Lost Property
Student Services are holding a number of items of lost property. If your child is missing something, please send them to check for it.

Labour Day Holiday and Support Services
We imagine that all of the students are looking forward to a lovely long weekend on the weekend of Saturday 9 March to Monday 11 March inclusive. Whilst the school counselling team does not provide support over the school holidays or long weekends, should you find that your child needs help, your child is always able to speak to someone at Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Headspace (1800 650 890), Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636 ). If you are after advice as a parent, you can also utilise these services, or call Parentline on 13 22 89.

Debbie Cameron
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

8 March  Year 9 Urban Experience Day 1, Group 2 (9MGT2, 9MGT4 and 9MGT5), Melbourne CBD, 7:06 am to 4:48 pm
11 March  LABOUR DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
13 March  SEISA Swim Training, Gippsland Regional Aquatics Centre, Traralgon, 7:00 am to 8:00 am
NAPLAN Writing and Reading (Year 7 and Year 9)
Lunchtime Presentation Ball Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 12:45 pm to 1:30 pm
14 March  NAPLAN Conventions of Language (Year 7 and Year 9)
SEISA Summer Sport, Intermediate/Senior, Finals
New Caledonia Tour, Compulsory Parent/Student Information Evening, Warragul Secondary School Library, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
House Tug of War (Year 12), Warragul Secondary Gymnasium, 9:40 am to 11:00 am
15 March  Year 12 Sport and Recreation – Melbourne Cable Park Day Trip, Bangholme, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
NAPLAN Numeracy (Year 7 and Year 9)
East Timor Tour Meeting and Pizza Dinner, Traralgon Secondary School, 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm
18 March  Presentation Ball Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 3:20 pm to 5:15 pm
19 March  PSTIs Session 1, Face-to-Face session, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 3:40 pm to 7:40 pm
20 March  East Timor Tour Meeting via ZOOM (compulsory for parents), 7:30 pm
21 March  SEISA Badminton, Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS), 9:30 am to 5:45 pm
SEISA Swim – VET Helpers, Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre, 9:45 am to 4:45 pm
SEISA Table Tennis, Table Tennis Traralgon, 9:30 am to 5:45 pm
SEISA Swimming, Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre, 9:45 am to 4:45 pm
Badminton and Table Tennis Carnival
22 March  Mountain Bike Training, Warragul Secondary School, 7:15 am to 8:15 am
24 March  Surf Training, Phillip Island, 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
25 March  Presentation Ball Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 3:20 pm to 5:15 pm
27 March  PSTIs Session 2, ZOOM session, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 3:40 pm to 8:10 pm
28 March  End of Term 1, 2:10 pm finish

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

“Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.” Matthew 18:20

The St Paul’s parent prayer group meets on the first Monday of each month during school terms. We try to keep the meeting brief (we are usually done by 9:45 am) and casual (younger children are most welcome). The group encompasses people both very comfortable with praying, as well as those newer to praying with others. Feel free to get in touch with any questions beforehand or just attend when you are able during the year.

Our next gathering is on Monday 6 May, at 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

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.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 1.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Cameron (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

MATHS HELP

Maths Help is up and running for 2024!!
If you need help with Maths concepts or need help keeping on track with completing Maths homework, please come along.
Room:  YN6
Years 7 to 10 every Wednesday at lunchtime
10A and VCE every Thursday after school 3:25 pm to 4:25 pm

We look forward to seeing you there!

Mrs Jessica Ashcroft
Head of Mathematics

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY
Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?
At present, there are over forty members of the School’s Company. Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00. Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.
Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.
Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Carol Reid by email: creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.
New applications should be received by 16 April 2024 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation for this year’s Annual General Meeting.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR
In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the School community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the Company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 22 May 2024.
Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Wednesday 24 April 2024 at 5:00 pm.
If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary on email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 2024
The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 22 May 2024 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:00 pm for members of the Company.

SCHOOL RELUCTANCE, AVOIDANCE AND REFUSAL

Term 1 is typically associated with students feeling excited about the year ahead. However, for many students, this is also a time of stress and worry – after all, change can be scary! While this stress and worry may dissipate once students are settled into their classes, are familiar with their new routine, have established classroom friendships and built rapport with their teacher, others continue to struggle.
If your child is still worried about coming to school or is at the stage where they are avoiding or refusing to attend school, then it is important that you reach out for support. Your child’s classroom teacher (Junior School) or Head of Year (Secondary School) is the best place to start. They may suggest:
·  Implementing a morning routine to help your child prepare for the school day.
·  Implementing relaxation activities before school and throughout the school day.
·  Implementing a drop-off routine, which may include a transition space or activity.
·  Addressing any social isolation, addressing any negative social interactions and increasing connections at school.
·  Reducing academic pressures until your child is feeling settled at school.
·  Creating a return-to-school or gradual re-entry plan.
If the above strategies have not been helpful, your child’s classroom teacher/Head of Year may recommend engaging with either school-based counselling or an external agency.

For more information about school reluctance, avoidance and refusal, please read the latest blog post on the Student Wellbeing Page for Parents at https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/13368.

Shannon Staples
Head of Counselling Services

DONATE A DICTIONARY!

During the upcoming April holidays, a total of nine students from the Traralgon and Warragul Secondary Schools, together with teachers Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park, will be travelling to the Ermera District in East Timor.

Amongst many wonderful experiences, we will be visiting the Pre-Secondary School in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s and be honoured guests at the inauguration of the English Language Study Centre in Malimea Village. We are hoping to present each student at the Ponilala School with an English/Tetun dictionary and leave a class set of dictionaries at the language centre. Each dictionary costs the equivalent of $10AUD and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families of the St Paul’s community would be willing to donate $10 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student. A nameplate with the donor’s name will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift.

Donations can be made via direct deposit into the school’s account or at Reception.

Payment by direct deposit:
Account Name: St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School
BSB: 033 262
Account Number: 190554

Please include the following reference for your payment:
Team Timor [family name]

Our Timorese colleagues will be most grateful for your support.

Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park
Team Timor

WARRAGUL CAMPUS ENSEMBLE SCHEDULE

New members, including students receiving tuition outside of school, are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason, and/or the listed ensemble director for further information hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au .

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-Curricular

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Saturday 4 May 2024
Year 9 Centre, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, 150 Bowen Street Warragul
• Class of 2019 – 5 Year Reunion
• Class of 2014 – 10 Year Reunion
• Class of 2004 – 20 Year Reunion

This year we have brought forward the timing of our Alumni Reunions to coincide with the school’s annual Open Day. Moving the reunions earlier provides us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and tour the school in action, see how it has changed and meet some of the current St Paul’s students and staff. Please join us at any stage between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, chat with our Alumni representatives and reminisce over the range of memorabilia on display. You might also like to join the Alumni school tour which will take place at 12:30 pm, before continuing your celebrations with some drinks, nibbles and catch-ups at Bandolier Brewing, 28 Mason Street Warragul, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Please RSVP by completing the registration here before 12 April 2024 for catering purposes.

Michelle Ireland
Community Coordinator
alumni@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

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://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/resources

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately. The CSEF program for 2024 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 24 June 2024 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2023 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2024), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2023 to 2024 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

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

I cannot believe we are already past the halfway mark of Term 1! We had a wonderful turnout at our Welcome Barbeque recently, the weather was perfect and there was a wonderful vibe with a lovely, relaxed feel on the night. My sincere thanks to the Year 12 Prefects, Year 9 Community Ambassadors, Junior School staff and families for attending. Our much-anticipated Prep Grand Prix was a lot of fun with our Prep students (and their families) enjoying their car races without incident. It was wonderful to see their Year 5 Buddies and the large crowd cheering them on. The St Paul’s 100m Gift was hotly contested with Hadley Purcell and Lachlan Perry victorious on the night. Congratulations to all of the SRC reps who assisted on their stall, it was a great team effort.
Our Years 3 to 6 students enjoyed their Athletics Carnival last Friday where Navy House were victorious. Year 6 student, Sidney Box, took out the faster runner race while the staff A Team took out the feature race between the staff and Year 9 students who assisted on the day.

NAPLAN
This year students in Year 3 and Year 5 will participate in NAPLAN. The test window will be from 14 to 25 March. NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. As students progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

2025 Years 5 and 6 Canberra Tour
Current Year 4 and Year 5 families would have received information regarding our 2025 Years 5 and 6 Canberra Tour recently. Places are limited and are filling fast, so please ensure you have returned your expression of interest and paid a deposit to secure a place for your child/ren on the Tour. All information can be found in the email sent on Thursday 22 February.

FOSP Hot Cross Bun Drive
A huge thanks to all of our families who have supported our FOSP Hot Cross Bun drive so far. Bakers Delight Warragul has provided us with the opportunity to raise funds for the school. For every six pack purchased, $2 will be donated to FOSP – St Paul’s Warragul Campus.
Orders close: Tuesday 19 March
Delivered to the school: Tuesday 26 March

HOW TO ORDER: You can take advantage of this offer by ordering via Munch Monitor: https://www.munchmonitor.com  and clicking on the SchoolShop tile.

If you have completed the 2024 Child Safe Modules and have a current Working With Children’s check, we would greatly appreciate some parent helpers on 26 March to help organise these orders once they have been delivered. If you are available to help, please let Sam at the Junior School Office know.

I hope all families enjoy the upcoming long weekend and we wish the Year 4 students well as they head off to the CYC Island Camp at Cowes next Tuesday.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON

MARCH
11 March  Labour Day Public Holiday
12 and 13 March  Year 4 Camp
12 to 19 March  NAPLAN
14 March  Regional Swimming (selected students)
18 March  District Athletics
20 to 22 March  Year 5 Camp
22 March  Prep Excursion to Farm World
28 March  End of Term 1, 2:20 pm finish
29 March  Good Friday

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

“Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.” Matthew 18:20

The Warragul St Paul’s Parent Prayer Group will again be meeting on the first Monday of each month during the school terms in 2024. The group is a wonderful way to connect with other families of faith and bring the needs of the school and our communities before God in prayer. There is no obligation to pray aloud, nor ongoing commitment to attend each month. We try to keep the meeting brief (we are usually done by 9:45 am) and casual (younger children are most welcome).  Feel free to get in touch with any questions beforehand or just attend when you are able during the year.

Our next gathering is Monday 6 May at 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School

Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

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.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 1.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Cameron (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY
Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?
At present, there are over forty members of the School’s Company. Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00. Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.
Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.
Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Carol Reid by email: creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.
New applications should be received by 16 April 2024 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation for this year’s Annual General Meeting.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR
In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the School community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the Company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 22 May 2024.
Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Wednesday 24 April 2024 at 5:00 pm.
If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary on email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 2024
The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 22 May 2024 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:00 pm for members of the Company.

SCHOOL RELUCTANCE, AVOIDANCE AND REFUSAL

Term 1 is typically associated with students feeling excited about the year ahead. However, for many students, this is also a time of stress and worry – after all, change can be scary! While this stress and worry may dissipate once students are settled into their classes, are familiar with their new routine, have established classroom friendships and built rapport with their teacher, others continue to struggle.

If your child is still worried about coming to school or is at the stage where they are avoiding or refusing to attend school, then it is important that you reach out for support. Your child’s classroom teacher (Junior School) or Head of Year (Secondary School) is the best place to start. They may suggest:
·  Implementing a morning routine to help your child prepare for the school day.
·  Implementing relaxation activities before school and throughout the school day.
·  Implementing a drop-off routine, which may include a transition space or activity.
·  Addressing any social isolation, addressing any negative social interactions and increasing connections at school.
·  Reducing academic pressures until your child is feeling settled at school.
·  Creating a return-to-school or gradual re-entry plan.
If the above strategies have not been helpful, your child’s classroom teacher/Head of Year may recommend engaging with either school-based counselling or an external agency.

For more information about school reluctance, avoidance and refusal, please read the latest blog post on the Student Wellbeing Page for Parents at https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/13368.

Shannon Staples
Head of Counselling Services

DONATE A DICTIONARY!

During the upcoming April holidays, a total of nine students from the Traralgon and Warragul Secondary Schools, together with teachers Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park, will be travelling to the Ermera District in East Timor.

Amongst many wonderful experiences, we will be visiting the Pre-Secondary School in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s and be honoured guests at the inauguration of the English Language Study Centre in Malimea Village. We are hoping to present each student at the Ponilala School with an English/Tetun dictionary and leave a class set of dictionaries at the language centre. Each dictionary costs the equivalent of $10AUD and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families of the St Paul’s community would be willing to donate $10 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student. A nameplate with the donor’s name will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift.

Donations can be made via direct deposit into the school’s account or at Reception.

Payment by direct deposit:
Account Name: St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School
BSB: 033 262
Account Number: 190554

Please include the following reference for your payment:
Team Timor [family name]

Our Timorese colleagues will be most grateful for your support.

Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park
Team Timor

WARRAGUL CAMPUS ENSEMBLE SCHEDULE

New members, including students receiving tuition outside of school, are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason, and/or the listed ensemble director for further information hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au .

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-Curricular

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Saturday 4 May 2024
Year 9 Centre, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, 150 Bowen Street Warragul
• Class of 2019 – 5 Year Reunion
• Class of 2014 – 10 Year Reunion
• Class of 2004 – 20 Year Reunion

This year we have brought forward the timing of our Alumni Reunions to coincide with the school’s annual Open Day. Moving the reunions earlier provides us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and tour the school in action, see how it has changed and meet some of the current St Paul’s students and staff. Please join us at any stage between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, chat with our Alumni representatives and reminisce over the range of memorabilia on display. You might also like to join the Alumni school tour which will take place at 12:30 pm, before continuing your celebrations with some drinks, nibbles and catch-ups at Bandolier Brewing, 28 Mason Street Warragul, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Please RSVP by completing the registration here before 12 April 2024 for catering purposes.

Michelle Ireland
Community Coordinator
alumni@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

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://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/resources

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately. The CSEF program for 2024 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 24 June 2024 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2023 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2024), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2023 to 2024 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

CLUB HOUSE BOOT CAMP

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

On the afternoon and evening of Friday 1 March, we were positively bubbling with excitement as we opened the doors and warmly welcomed Traralgon families for a tour of the brand-new Futures Centre. Many families made the most of the chance to tour the building with our Secondary School Student Leaders, who kindly shared their love of the spaces with visitors.

The community celebrated into the evening with the Official Opening and Dedication of the Futures Centre conducted by The Right Reverend Bishop of Gippsland, Dr Richard Treloar, who prayed for and blessed the building, students, and staff who will use and learn within the new Futures Centre. Our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, and the Chair of the School Board, Mr Darren Jennings, proudly unveiled the plaque to commemorate this auspicious occasion. Throughout the afternoon and evening, our visitors and guests were able to observe a ‘live’ choir rehearsal in the acoustically designed auditorium and admire the very first St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School – Year 12 Acquisitive Art Exhibition, now on display in the formal gallery spaces on both the lower and upper levels.

An impressive feature in the foyer of the Futures Centre and permanently displayed at reception as a reminder of the landscape in which our school is situated, is a sublime landscape painting by local and renowned Gippsland artist Gary Miles. The focal point is two saplings, relaxed in conversation, welcoming us to the future and the ancient vista beyond. It reminds me of two students growing in wisdom and integrity as they excitedly explore their community and their place within.

The Futures Centre is a welcoming embrace for our community at St Paul’s. As you approach from the entrance of the school you cannot help but be greeted by the lush gardens of the external space and invited into a vibrant respectful and compassionate community of future-focused students.

Throughout the formalities, guests were able to hear the exquisite voice of Amelia Wells, Traralgon Secondary School Captain, as she sang the National Anthem and School Song, those present also enjoyed the enviable talent of Adam Guo, Traralgon Secondary School Year 10 student, who treated the audience with ‘Fantaisie-Impromptu’ (Op.66) Frederic Chopin on the pianoforte.

It was an evening of precious moments and experiences as our staff and students highlighted the numerous applications and future learning possibilities that the spaces within the Futures Centre now provide for our community. This event allowed us a moment to gather, to stop and reflect upon the accomplishments of many, the grandeur of the building, as well as its superb relationship to the environment and land in which it is harmoniously set.

The Futures Centre is the culmination of many years of visionary leadership by our Principal and School Executive, as well as our School Board – to offer a St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School education from Kindergarten all the way through to Year 12 to the community of the Latrobe Valley. Thank you does not seem enough!

We know that our students and staff already adore and are making the most of the contemporary learning spaces in our Futures Centre. Many thanks are extended to our staff and students who worked tirelessly to prepare for the ‘Open Afternoon’ followed by the ‘Official Ceremony’, they are sincerely appreciated and thanked beyond words, for their many weeks of work in preparation for this significant event for our campus.

Amelia Wells, School Captain – Traralgon Secondary School, accompanied by Mr Nathan Byrne – Head of Performing Arts, sang the National Anthem and School Song during the official proceedings.

Principal Mr Cameron Herbert, School Board Chair Mr Darren Jennings and The Right Reverend Dr Richard Treloar Bishop of Gippsland unveil the commemorative plaque.

Head of School – ‘Out and About’

Please enjoy the following images of some of our Year 7 and Year 8 students with whom I have enjoyed conversations, when out and about in our superbly landscaped grounds.

Year 8.1

Year 8 students, Mia Griffiths, Katy Vaninetti and Makinley Monaghan enjoying the gardens outside of the new Futures Centre.

Year 8.2

Year 8 students Isabella Slocombe, Isabella Heath and Sophie Burslem enjoying lunchtime together.

Year 7

Year 7 students Kallan Jones, Will Shearer, Logan Parry in front of the new Futures Centre.

COMBINED TRARALGON SECONDARY SCHOOL AND WARRAGUL SECONDARY SCHOOL HOUSE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
We were greeted with a perfect autumn morning to commence Monday of this week, as we excitedly prepared our students for their journey to the Joe Carmody Athletics Track for the combined Traralgon Secondary and Warragul Secondary Schools House Athletics Carnival. These carnivals are always a wonderful outing for the whole school, away from the traditional classroom for our students. The entire community enjoys the opportunity to spend time together in a less formal environment. Many new friendships and connections are formed as students work together in their house groups and compete for precious house points. Of course, we are always excited to see our sports people achieve greatness, but we absolutely adore witnessing all of our students push themselves to compete and represent their house on the day. The house spirit is indeed alive and well and we were pleased to see Paterson House take home the 2024 trophy for the combined House Athletics Carnival.

LIVE4LIFE – COMING TO THE LATROBE VALLEY

Together with the Latrobe Valley Health Assembly and other local stakeholders and Secondary School communities, we joined together for a Live4Life partnership meeting hosted by St Paul’s on Tuesday 27 February in the Futures Centre auditorium.  Live4Life is a not-for-profit organisation that helps rural and regional communities come together to implement additional support and education in regard to Mental Health in an effort to try to reduce youth suicide. Our Warragul Secondary School is part of the Baw Baw Chapter of Live4Life and the Latrobe Valley is now working towards a similar although possibly a slightly different model.

The Live for Life model aims to:
·  Reduce barriers that prevent young people from seeking help.
·  Decrease mental health stigma.
·  Increase awareness of local professional help.
·  Increase the mental health knowledge of secondary school-aged students, teachers, parents, carers and community members.
·  Build community resilience in addressing mental ill-health.

We are currently enjoying the conversations and planning in which we have been involved. We know that this program will provide an additional layer of valuable education in relation to Mental Health and Wellbeing for our Year 8 and Year 10 students. All of our Year 8 and Year 10 students will complete the Teen Mental Health First Aid course and further information will follow closer to Term 3. I have included the link below should you like to know more about what the course entails.
We will keep you updated throughout the year regarding our progress as we work with the Live for Life Latrobe Valley partnership group and our Traralgon Secondary School staff.

Teen Mental Health First Aid – Mental Health First Aid Australia (mhfa.com.au)

Uniform – The Little Things Matter
We greatly appreciate the support that our families provide in ensuring that our students are dressed correctly in their formal, sport and physical education uniforms. A gentle reminder that students are not to wear socks with logos and that they are to wear the correctly coloured socks and black leather school shoes with their formal uniforms. Although it may seem trivial, we know from experience that the little things really do count. Maintaining expectations regarding the uniform most certainly supports the teaching team who care for your children to maintain a safe learning environment, as well as an outstanding and respectful learning culture for which we are known in the community. Your kind and ongoing support in maintaining the outstanding standards of student uniform at our school is, as always, hugely appreciated. Should you have any questions about the uniform, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s Mentor or Head of Year.

Signing Out at Student Services
A reminder to families that students should not be contacting their parents during the day if they are unwell. We have staff at Student Services so it’s important that students present there to be properly assessed and contact will be made with families by the Student Services team. We are finding that several parents are presenting at Student Services to collect their child who has contacted them, and it is the first time we are aware that they are unwell. We would appreciate it if families could encourage their child to attend Student Services to seek immediate assistance so that we can care for them appropriately and in a timely manner.

Speed Limit Reminder
Please take care to ensure that you are adhering to the speed restriction throughout the campus as well as in and around the ‘short stay zones’ at the front of the Secondary School. There is a pedestrian crossing at the bottom of the rose garden and we are very keen to keep all of our precious students and staff safe at all times. Please note that there are often children darting in and around vehicles at peak periods, as many families have children at both the Junior School and the Secondary School. Thank you for your care of our students and staff in the carpark.

School Hours and Supervision
Our staff are at school preparing for the day from 8:30 am onwards and provide incidental supervision as they go about their planning for the day. Students dropped at school prior to 8:30 am may not have teacher supervision until after 8:30 am. The school day commences at 8:50 am with a warning bell and is followed by another bell at 8:55 am to indicate the official start to the school day.

Labour Day Holiday and Support Services
We imagine that all of the students are looking forward to a lovely long weekend on the weekend of Saturday 9 March to Monday 11 March inclusive. Whilst the school counselling team does not provide support over the school holidays or long weekends, should you find that you child needs help, your child is always able to speak to someone at Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Headspace (1800 650 890), Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636 ). If you are after advice as a parent, you can also utilise these services, or call Parentline on 13 22 89.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

NAPLAN Testing 2024

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) 2024 for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students will be held on Wednesday 13 March, Friday 15 March, Monday 18 March and Tuesday 19 March 2024. NAPLAN tests assess student knowledge and skills in Writing, Reading, Language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy. The results of the tests provide information for students, parents, teachers and principals which can be used to improve student achievement.

Students and parents can access the NAPLAN practice site at https://nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site to become familiar with the format of these online tests.
All students are expected to participate in the NAPLAN tests. During test week, catch-up sessions will be available for individual students who are absent on test days. These students may undertake catch-up sessions on the days in the test week after the scheduled test, up to and including Monday 25 March 2024.

Support can be arranged for students with disabilities if the student regularly uses similar support for classroom assessment tasks. The NAPLAN online system also allows adjustments to how the tests are presented. Exemptions may be granted to students with significant intellectual disabilities and to students who have been learning English for less than one year. If your child is eligible for support due to disability or an exemption, you should discuss this with his/her teacher prior to the tests. Parental consent is required before any support due to disability or exemption is granted.

Students may be withdrawn from NAPLAN by their parent or carer. This is a matter for consideration by parents and carers in consultation with the school. If, after consultation, you decide to withdraw your child, you must sign a Student Withdrawal form. Please contact Chris Ambrozy at cambrozy@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au should you wish to obtain a Student Withdrawal form.

Later in the year, you will receive your child’s personal NAPLAN report. The report will describe your child’s particular skills in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy. The report will also show how your child performed in relation to national minimum standards. These describe the minimum acceptable standards for students across Australia.

I am confident that the information you receive as a result of your child’s participation in the NAPLAN tests will be valuable in helping you to assess your child’s progress in literacy and numeracy.

For more information about the tests, please visit the NAP website at www.nap.edu.au.

Chris Ambrozy
Director of Studies

Have a Happy FOSP Easter

WHAT’S ON

MARCH
18 March  NAPLAN Conventions of Writing
Parent Student Teacher Interviews (PSTIs) – Face-to-Face
19 March  NAPLAN Numeracy
21 March  SEISA Swimming, Badminton and Table Tennis
Harmony Day
27 March  Parent Student Teacher Interviews (PSTIs) – Online via ZOOM
28 March  Easter Service
FOSP Easter Egg Hunt
End Of Term 1,  2:10 pm Finish

DOBSONS TRADING HOURS

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.

MAKING CONNECTIONS AT PSTIS!

We look forward to meeting our new and existing St Paul’s families at the upcoming Semester 1 Parent Student Teacher Interviews (PSTIs). These will be held on Monday 18 March from 3:40 pm to 7:40 pm and Wednesday 27 March from 3:40 pm to 7:40 pm.

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School has an online booking system for the PSTIs. You will be required to use a link that is different for each night. Once you have made your bookings, please print the “Interview Timetable” generated by the system. Students are required to wear formal school uniform when attending face-to-face interviews. Instructions for setting up a Zoom account have been emailed home.  It is important that the name on the Zoom account matches the name that you use to book your PSTIs.

For IT technical support on this night, parents can call 0408 032 740 to speak to a member of our IT team. Interview times are five minutes per teacher. Appointments that exceed the allocated time significantly inconvenience all parties involved; hence, your cooperation in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

To access details relating to your child’s classes and teachers please log on to MyStPauls and click on their timetable. If you need assistance with your login details, please contact IT services at itsupport@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or via phone during office hours on 5175 9222.

PSTI Booking Windows and Links

Session 1: (Face-to-Face only | Monday 18 March)
For this evening, bookings will be available from 11:00 am on Monday 11 March.
https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/wrnnv
Bookings close at 8:00 pm on Tuesday 16 March.

Session 2: (Zoom only | Wednesday 27 March)
For this evening, bookings will be available from 11:00 am on Wednesday 13 March.
https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/tj87u
Bookings close at 8:00 pm on Monday 25 March.

Chris Ambrozy
Director of Studies

YSAFE CYBER SAFETY AND PROTECTION

David Smith from ySafe visited St Paul’s to talk to the Years 9 and 10 students about cyber safety and to explain ways in which we can keep ourselves safe as well as keeping our identities protected. David started his presentation by asking students questions about current popular trends and people on social media. This was done to easily explain just how similar the media presented to different age groups can be. He played a video about all the effects that cyber bullying and mockery can have on teenagers, telling stories about some of his connections who were seriously affected by ‘trolls’ on the internet. One of David’s stories led him to the topic of deep fakes, what they are and ways in which we can spot them. He explained that often the neck, ears and fine details of a deep fake are often glitchy and that their voices may be robotic and not quite match the movement of their lips. Students noted that lighting, backgrounds, wrinkles and the pitch of voice are also important things to look for when trying to spot a deep fake.

David informed students about the importance of having secure social media accounts and a positive digital footprint. He explained why we should have our accounts private with 2FAs (two-factor authentication) to keep ourselves protected and how to enable said factors. After David’s talk, Year 9 students participated in an activity to recount what he had just told us all about. Students talked about privacy and protection against fakes and cyber bullies, along with ways to protect themselves against these factors. Groups discussed the impact of a digital footprint on one’s lives – especially when looking for work, how to keep our media appropriate to our interests and ages, how to avoid scams and trolls, that people should always block and/or report inappropriate things online, and how to stay protected when on social media.

Students left David’s talk feeling secure about their online personas and confident to protect themselves against their media.

Sienna Giles
Year 9 Student

MASTERING THE GREEN

At Traralgon Secondary School, a new and exciting Year 7 elective has started in 2024 called ‘Active for Life’. Students will be able to participate in a variety of leisure sports across the semester.

On Wednesday 28 February, our class ventured to the Traralgon Bowls Club to learn the rules and skills required to master lawn bowls. All students had a fantastic time and came away with many positive experiences.

The class is now looking forward to our next adventure within our local community.

Mr Ben Zanella
Head of Health, Food and Physical Education

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 1.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Cameron (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY
Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?

At present, there are over 40 members of the School’s Company. Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00. Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.

Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.
Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Carol Reid by email: creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.
New applications should be received by 16 April 2024 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation for this year’s Annual General Meeting.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR
In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the School community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the Company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 22 May 2024.

Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Wednesday 24 April 2024 at 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary on email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 2024
The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 22 May 2024 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:00 pm for members of the Company.

SCHOOL RELUCTANCE, AVOIDANCE AND REFUSAL

Term 1 is typically associated with students feeling excited about the year ahead. However, for many students, this is also a time of stress and worry – after all, change can be scary! While this stress and worry may dissipate once students are settled into their classes, are familiar with their new routine, have established classroom friendships and built rapport with their teacher, others continue to struggle.

If your child is still worried about coming to school or is at the stage where they are avoiding or refusing to attend school, then it is important that you reach out for support. Your child’s classroom teacher (Junior School) or Head of Year (Secondary School) is the best place to start. They may suggest:
·  Implementing a morning routine to help your child prepare for the school day.
·  Implementing relaxation activities before school and throughout the school day.
·  Implementing a drop-off routine, which may include a transition space or activity.
·  Addressing any social isolation, addressing any negative social interactions and increasing connections at school.
·  Reducing academic pressures until your child is feeling settled at school.
·  Creating a return-to-school or gradual re-entry plan.

If the above strategies have not been helpful, your child’s classroom teacher/Head of Year may recommend engaging with either school-based counselling or an external agency.

For more information about school reluctance, avoidance and refusal, please read the latest blog post on the Student Wellbeing Page for Parents at https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/13368.

Shannon Staples
Head of Counselling Services

DONATE A DICTIONARY!

During the upcoming April holidays, a total of nine students from the Traralgon and Warragul Secondary Schools, together with teachers Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park, will be travelling to the Ermera District in East Timor.

Amongst many wonderful experiences, we will be visiting the Pre-Secondary School in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s and be honoured guests at the inauguration of the English Language Study Centre in Malimea Village. We are hoping to present each student at the Ponilala School with an English/Tetun dictionary and leave a class set of dictionaries at the language centre. Each dictionary costs the equivalent of $10AUD and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families of the St Paul’s community would be willing to donate $10 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student. A nameplate with the donor’s name will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift.

Donations can be made via direct deposit into the school’s account or at Reception.

Payment by direct deposit:
Account Name: St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School
BSB: 033 262
Account Number: 190554

Please include the following reference for your payment:
Team Timor [family name]

Our Timorese colleagues will be most grateful for your support.

Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park
Team Timor

TRARALGON CAMPUS ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members, including students receiving tuition outside of school, are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason, and/or the listed ensemble director for further information hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au .

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-Curricular

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Saturday 4 May 2024
Year 9 Centre, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, 150 Bowen Street Warragul
• Class of 2019 – 5 Year Reunion
• Class of 2014 – 10 Year Reunion
• Class of 2004 – 20 Year Reunion

This year we have brought forward the timing of our Alumni Reunions to coincide with the school’s annual Open Day. Moving the reunions earlier provides us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and tour the school in action, see how it has changed and meet some of the current St Paul’s students and staff. Please join us at any stage between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, chat with our Alumni representatives and reminisce over the range of memorabilia on display. You might also like to join the Alumni school tour which will take place at 12:30 pm, before continuing your celebrations with some drinks, nibbles and catch-ups at Bandolier Brewing, 28 Mason Street Warragul, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Please RSVP by completing the registration here before 12 April 2024 for catering purposes.

Michelle Ireland
Community Coordinator
alumni@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

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://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/resources

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately. The CSEF program for 2024 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 24 June 2024 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2023 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2024), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2023 to 2024 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

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

Term 1 is well underway with formal lessons, assessments and special activities across all year levels. Students are engaged in their learning, busy at play times and have enjoyed some very exciting events over the past two weeks in the Junior School.

Questacon Science Circus
Questacon visited Traralgon last Thursday and was a huge hit with students who were in awe of the experiments and science demonstrations.  A number of students were hands-on and assisted the presenters with their activities which was very exciting. Thank you to Miss Stefanie Settle for her organisation of this event.

ySafe – Online Safety
ySafe also visited our Junior School last week and presented to our Years 5 and 6 students about a wide range of safety considerations with social media apps and online gaming. There were many ‘aha’ moments when students were confronted with security concerns and inappropriate online behaviours. Students were provided with sound advice to keep themselves safe and to ensure that they avoid situations that may be challenging and compromising. Thank you to Ms Lorelle Cotterrell for coordinating the visit to our school. It was indeed worthwhile, informative and essential.

Thank you to the parents who joined us for the Parent Session with ySafe. There were many discussion topics for families to take advantage of, and lots of resources and information to facilitate these conversations. These can be found here at the safety hub: stpaulsags.onlinesafetyhub.com.au

Topics included to support families navigate the online world with their children include:
·  Setting your family up for online safety
·  Online bullying
·  Pornography and sexting
·  Gaming
·  Online predators
·  Online relationships
·  Influencers
·  Parental controls
I encourage all families to access this information and to be aware of the constantly changing online safety concerns for our children.

Clean Up Australia Day
Our students did an amazing job cleaning up our school grounds and surrounding areas last Friday on Clean Up Australia Day.  They donned their gloves and grabbed garbage bags to ensure all rubbish was collected and disposed of appropriately. Students worked cooperatively and supported each other, with our older students guiding their buddies and helping to promote the importance of caring for our environment and taking responsibility. Many thanks to Ms Sarah Berryman and Mrs Emily Galea who organised and coordinated this event.

Division Swimming
Congratulations to our swimmers who competed with determination in this week’s Division Swimming Competition. Eleven students will progress to the regional competition. There were multiple close calls with second place swimmers or teams just missing out. All students are to be acknowledged for their efforts and achievements. Thank you to Mr Rilen and Mrs Clavarino for attending with our students and supporting them in their races.

Parent Teacher Interviews
Interviews were well attended by many parents and it has been wonderful to hear lots of positive feedback from families about the value of these meetings. These formal interviews are held twice per year, in Term 1 and Term 4, however, teachers are available throughout each term should parents have any questions or concerns or wish to seek an update on their child’s progress. Teachers can be contacted via email, telephone or via the Junior School Office.

Volunteer Induction Sessions
Thank you to the parents who attended our volunteer induction sessions this week. It was fabulous to see a number of parents offering to support our Junior School and our students with their learning. St Paul’s recognises the valuable contribution that volunteers provide to our school community by giving their time and sharing their skills and expertise with others. Volunteers may have a wide range of interests, skills and abilities that are able to complement our programs, thus giving a wider range of interactions and experiences to our students.  We are very appreciative of any support parents can provide. Another induction will be offered in early Term 2 for anyone who was unable to attend the induction session.
Parents who wish to volunteer must hold a current working with children’s check, complete the school’s Child Safe Modules, attend a Volunteer Induction Session and register on the school’s Linksafe platform. Completing these tasks ensure that volunteers engaged in child-related work receive training and information that will equip them with the knowledge, skills and awareness required to keep children and students safe and that is appropriate to the nature and responsibilities of their role.
The school also must meet the requirements of all relevant legislation, particularly legislation that pertains to matters of workplace safety and child protection.

Key Upcoming Events

Learning to Read Parent Evening Tuesday 12 March 6:00 pm
Parents are warmly invited to attend an information session about helping your child learn to read.  Strategies and information about ways to support your child will be shared. Please RSVP to the Junior School office tgonadmin@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Athletics Day Wednesday 20 March
Our Athletics Carnival will be held on Wednesday 20 March. Students will travel by bus to the Harold Preston Reserve in the morning and will return at the end of the day. Students will engage in a range of track and field events and compete in their Houses. The day is always memorable and lots of fun. Families are warmly invited to join us and cheer on students. For those who have completed their volunteer requirements, Mr Rilen would also appreciate some extra helpers on the day. Please contact him via email wrilen@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au if you are able to assist on the day.

Harmony Day Thursday 21 March – Wear a splash of ORANGE!
Our Junior school is busy organising our upcoming Harmony Day celebrations for Thursday 21 March. Harmony Day recognises Australia’s rich cultural diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It is about inclusivity, respect, and a sense of belonging for everyone.

We encourage our students and the broader school community to embrace cultural diversity and recognise that in doing so, we encourage understanding and empathy towards others. Introducing students to different cultures, languages, and customs, can help them cultivate an appreciation for the vastness of human experiences and through celebrating cultural differences, we pave the way for inclusive global thinkers.

A day of activities, learning and cultural experiences is planned, and we invite our broader school community to attend our Harmony Day. Parents who wish to contribute or volunteer on Thursday are asked to email the Junior School Office tgonadmin@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au  We will also celebrate Harmony Day at assembly on Friday 22 March and families are most welcome to join us then too.

We are also requesting that families share their favourite recipes with us as we intend to create a St Paul’s Junior School Harmony Day Recipe book.  Look out for the template in your emails. We would love for each child to be included.

Hoodie Up For Autism Monday 25 March
Every year, Amaze celebrates World Autism Month by holding an annual ‘Hoodie Up’ campaign which promotes understanding, acceptance and inclusion of the Autistic community. Traralgon Junior School will again be acknowledging Hoodie Up For Autism with a special day of awareness-building activities and an invitation for all students to wear a hoodie with their PE uniform to school.

According to Amaze, the peak body for autistic people and their supporters in Victoria, research shows that 98 per cent of Australians have heard of autism, and 85 per cent of Australians have personal contact with an autistic person, yet only 29 per cent of Australians agree that they have a good understanding of how to support autistic people and only 4 per cent of autistic people thought Australians knew how to support them. (Source: https://www.amaze.org.au/get-involved/hoodie-up/)

Wearing a Hoodie on Monday 25 March along with the activities, videos and discussions in classrooms, teachers aim to build knowledge, understanding and acceptance with students. Wearing a hoodie ‘up’ can contribute to a more inclusive school culture and positive change within our community and for students and families with autism. Our school community is helping to shape a better future for autism.

Why HOODIES?
Some autistic people experience sensory sensitivities and can become overloaded by stimuli in their environment; wearing their hoodie up means they can block out bright lights and busy environments which helps calm them. By hosting a Hoodie Up event and putting our hoodies up, we’re showing a little more understanding of how we can support and embrace autistic people and celebrate the diversity autism brings to our world.

Who is Amaze?
Amaze is the peak body for autistic people and their families and supporters in Victoria, and has been supporting the autism community for over 50 years. Their work focuses on building community understanding of autism, providing information and resources, creating opportunities for participation by autistic people and influencing policy changes that create a more inclusive world for the autistic community.

Raising Funds for Amaze
Funds raised through Hoodie Up will help deliver vital support to autistic people and their families, including Amaze’s work to create a more autism-friendly Victoria. Amaze advocates to ensure the autism community’s voices and needs are recognised in government policy and the media, break down stigma in the wider community through public education campaigns, and upskill the wider world in how to support autistic people to fully participate in and contribute to, our society.

Class EXPOs Wednesday 27 March 2:30 pm
All classrooms will be open for our Class EXPOs in the final week of term. Students will share their Term 1 learning and teachers will model some lessons and provide parents with further information about classroom learning programs.  We warmly invite all of our families to this important afternoon. Your child will be excited to share their achievements and favourite learning tasks with you. Classrooms will be open from 2:30 pm until 3:20 pm

NAPLAN
This year students in Year 3 and Year 5 will participate in NAPLAN. The test window will be from 14 to 25 March. NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. As students progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

2025 Years 5 and 6 Canberra Tour
Current Year 4 and Year 5 families would have received information regarding our 2025 Years 5 and 6 Canberra Tour recently. Places are limited and are filling fast, so please ensure you have returned your expression of interest and paid a deposit to secure a place for your child/ren on the Tour. All information can be found in the email sent on Thursday 22 February.

Nude Food
Our Junior School will be focused on becoming a Nude Food school throughout Semester 1 this year.  “Nude Food” is really just a fun play on litter-free lunches. It is estimated that the average school-aged child creates about three pieces of litter from their lunch box each school day. That equates to around 30 kilograms of waste per child, per year at school. Wow!  We all know that we need to be sending less waste to landfill. Using the concepts of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle you can send a litter-free lunch to school. Litter-free lunches should have no disposable wrappers or single-use items like cutlery, plastic straws, juice or milk poppers or wrappers such as cling wrap, foil or zip lock bags. We are asking families to trial some changes to lunch boxes in preparation for a Term 2 Nude Food launch.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

MARCH
11 March Labour Day Public Holiday
12 March ELC to Year 2 Parent Evening: Learning to Read, 6:00 pm
Year 6 Urban Camp begins (four days)
Hot Cross Bun Drive, Orders close
13-22 March NAPLAN
14 March Regional Swimming (selected students)
20 March Athletics Carnival
21 March Harmony Day
22 March Hot Cross Bun Orders delivered to school
25 March Hoodie Up for Autism
26 March District Athletics (selected students)
27 March Classroom EXPOs, 2:30 pm
28 March Easter Service
FOSP Easter Hunt
End of Term 1, 2:20 pm finish

DOBSONS TRADING HOURS

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.

FOSP HOT CROSS BUN DRIVE

We have some exciting news! This year for our annual Hot Cross Bun Drive, FOSP has teamed up with local Traralgon business Missen Link Burgers. They will be providing St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School with the opportunity to raise funds for our students.

All packs are $10 each (six pack) and for every pack sold, $2 will be donated to FOSP – St Paul’s Traralgon Campus.
Ordering is now open and will close on Tuesday 12 March 2024.

HOW TO ORDER:
Online via MunchMonitor:
https://www.munchmonitor.com Click on the SchoolShop tile.
You can choose from:

Traditional
Traditional Fruitless
Chocolate Chip
Caramel White Choc
Strawberry White Choc
Raspberry Milk Choc
Nutella Custard
Custard Filled or Jam Filled

Order Collection Information:
Delivery to the school is scheduled on Friday 22 March 2024.

TELC families – orders can be collected from the Junior School office between 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Junior School families – orders will be delivered to your child’s classroom.
Secondary School Families – orders will be delivered to the Secondary School office for students to collect.
Don’t forget you can also ask family or friends if they would like to order some buns too! If every family was to order at least one pack of buns, we can boost our funds to be used on enhancing facilities and learning experiences for our children.

Thank you to our wonderful school community for your support!

Janelle Szkwarek and Tanya Rong
FOSP Co-Presidents                               

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

Students who may be leaving St Paul’s
As per the Enrolment Agreement, it is a requirement at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School that a term’s notice in advance is given before any student withdraws. If you are planning to withdraw your child/ren, please confirm your intention in writing to our Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert, prior to the end of Term 1.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolments Officers: Mrs Jen Christensen (Warragul) on 5623 5833 or Ms Bonnie Cameron (Traralgon) on 5175 0133 or by emailing enrolments@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY
Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?

At present, there are over forty members of the School’s Company. Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00. Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.

Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.

Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Carol Reid by email: creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

New applications should be received by 16 April 2024 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation for this year’s Annual General Meeting.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR
In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the School community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the Company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 22 May 2024.

Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Wednesday 24 April 2024 at 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary on email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 2024
The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 22 May 2024 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:00 pm for members of the Company.

SCHOOL RELUCTANCE, AVOIDANCE AND REFUSAL

Term 1 is typically associated with students feeling excited about the year ahead. However, for many students, this is also a time of stress and worry – after all, change can be scary! While this stress and worry may dissipate once students are settled into their classes, are familiar with their new routine, have established classroom friendships and built rapport with their teacher, others continue to struggle.

If your child is still worried about coming to school or is at the stage where they are avoiding or refusing to attend school, then it is important that you reach out for support. Your child’s classroom teacher (Junior School) or Head of Year (Secondary School) is the best place to start. They may suggest:
·  Implementing a morning routine to help your child prepare for the school day.
·  Implementing relaxation activities before school and throughout the school day.
·  Implementing a drop-off routine, which may include a transition space or activity.
·  Addressing any social isolation, addressing any negative social interactions and increasing connections at school.
·  Reducing academic pressures until your child is feeling settled at school.
·  Creating a return-to-school or gradual re-entry plan.
If the above strategies have not been helpful, your child’s classroom teacher/Head of Year may recommend engaging with either school-based counselling or an external agency.

For more information about school reluctance, avoidance and refusal, please read the latest blog post on the Student Wellbeing Page for Parents at https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/13368.

Shannon Staples
Head of Counselling Services

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY

We are thrilled to share the success of our recent Clean Up Australia Day event. On Friday 1 March, students and staff ventured into various areas of the school and local community, armed with gloves, bags and determination.

Students demonstrated their commitment to a cleaner environment by working together to find a remarkable amount of litter, ranging from plastic bottles to food wrappers.

By actively participating in activities like Clean Up Australia Day, our students are embodying the principles of environmental sustainability, showing their sense of responsibility towards the environment, and learning valuable lessons about the importance of conservation and community engagement.

Mrs Emily Galea
Year 4 Teacher

CLASS UPDATES

ELC
This week Jirrah and Goongera children enjoyed a Teddy Bears picnic with their friends at kinder. It was fun to play games, read books and enjoy music about our special toys. We used our own outside playground to engage with water play and monster trucks, and we loved using the dress-ups outside as well as inside. On Wednesday, we went to the ‘big’ playground where many children enjoyed the large sand pit with some of the other kinder groups. The rope set up on the plank challenged our upper body strength, balance and cause and effect, many children engaged in this as well as jumping onto the large crash mat.

Our Nudle Kart was introduced this week to the Naroot children. The Nudle Kart can be deconstructed to transform into a creative, loose parts play tool. This  provided openness to new experiences, divergent thinking, intellectual risk-taking, and mathematical creativity. Sidney made a horse, Sunny and Ryan created a flying car and Asher worked on a robot that turned into a car. Landan, Ezra, Ellis and Niko worked on joining different boxes, tubes and poles together.

There was a big interest in volcanoes with the Goola children both outside and inside during the week. Easton, Arlo and Alexander worked together to create one in the sandpit. It was surrounded by road cones so that it didn’t get knocked down and imaginations were in full flight as the group ran out of the sandpit shouting “It’s erupting!” Indoors, each child was eager to have a turn at creating their own volcano with bicarbonate soda and vinegar. Julian, Lenny, Ryder and Tanay displayed great excitement at the results! This was a great language opportunity to learn words and their meanings, such as magma, erupt, dormant, active, base, acid and chemical reaction.

Mrs Fiona McDonald
Early Learning Centre Director and Pre-Prep Teacher

Prep
It has been an exciting fortnight in Prep as students have begun their first full week of learning. In Literacy, students have been discussing and identifying the difference between a letter and a word as they read their first sentences during our Let’s Decode program. In our Maths sessions, students have focused on the properties of 2D shapes, detailing the number of sides and corners (vertices) each shape has. They have also been counting collections of objects from 0-5 and matching them with the correct numeral.

What a wonderful fortnight of learning it has been!

Year 1
In Year 1, we have been learning how to write recounts.  Here are some snippets of the highlights from last week’s Questacon Science Circus:

The flying truck was super cool! – Timothy
I liked the part where they used the hair dryer to make the garbage bag fly. – Ayansh
I found the tuning fork so interesting! – Luca B
They launched a rocket to the other end and it was spectacular! – Clea
I watched them launch a truck on string. – River
I went to the old library and they blew up a rubbish bag with air. – Elizabeth

Miss Stefanie Settle
Year 1 Teacher

Year 2
Students have had a fantastic couple of weeks with an incursion by Questacon as one of the highlights. They learnt about the scientific process where you ask a question, take a guess and then test the question. They learnt that sound is vibration and about various types of lift.

Students are beginning to switch from learning about their brain and classroom routines and expectations to more academically focused lessons. In Numeracy, they have reviewed 2-digit addition and subtraction, and days in each month. February’s 29 days this year means that we have a leap year! In writing, they learnt about sequence words in readiness for recount writing. They have continued to build on their vocabulary knowledge with a focus on sound words (cacophonous, jarring, pacifying, and deafening).

Students have practised mindfulness and gratitude as well as building their understanding of emotions.

It was great to meet so many parents during the recent interviews. If at any time you need to communicate with classroom teachers, please don’t hesitate to make a time with the office or send an email or diary note.

Miss Jade Hosken
Year 2 Teacher

Year 3
Last Friday marked the annual Clean-Up Australia Day, a well-known nationwide initiative to encourage communities to clean their localities in a collective effort to contribute positively to the conservation of the environment. Our Year 3 students were also empowered with the opportunity to be role models for the Goola children from our ELC who joined us for the event. It was lovely watching the children take pride as the ‘big’ leaders and set a fine example for their younger friends.

As expected, we have had a jam-packed week with an abundance of learning alongside introducing our homework expectations, which has been met with a somewhat unanticipated response from the students who are enthusiastically embracing this component of their schooling journey! Incorporating a wide variety of activities that encourage positive family interactions, flexibility for students to pursue their own interests and learning in conjunction with working towards their self-derived goals and academic skills, this experience will undoubtedly prove enriching and beneficial for all.

We are also preparing for the upcoming NAPLAN assessment, which will be our students’ first experience and one we trust will be both positive and informative.

Year 4
They say time flies when you are having fun, and we are certainly having lots of fun in Year 4. Students were given the opportunity to put their knowledge of the brain to the test by dissecting a sheep’s brain. During the dissections, students observed and examined the intricate structures of the brain, gaining a deeper understanding of its functions. Throughout this immersive experience, students not only expanded their scientific knowledge but also developed critical thinking skills and a sense of curiosity about the brain.

Our Play is the Way sessions have well and truly begun and we have enjoyed developing and reflecting on our PITW life rafts as well as the maxims. This week we have focused on our emotions and learning to identify and describe emotions in ourselves and others.

The students have been working hard in Mathematics, making sure that they have a solid understanding of the basic operations, making sure they are setting the foundations for their learning in 2024.

Mrs Emily Galea
Year 4 Teacher

Year 5
After returning from camp the Year 5 students have been busy creating a PowerPoint; reflecting on what they enjoyed, what they learnt and whether they would recommend Sovereign Hill to someone. They then presented their PowerPoint to the class.  Although there were a lot of nervous students, they all did an amazing job getting up and talking about Sovereign Hill.

The Year 5 students were also able to attend a ySafe session which informed them about the dangers of social media platforms on the internet, things they should be aware of, how to behave and most importantly not to give any personal information out.  There was a lot of information that we hope they take on board when using any social media app and games in the future.

We have also been busy in Literacy with our Language Arts program and Numeracy, in particular multiplication.  We also began our second unit of work for the term in Humanities and Science, looking at Healthy Habits.

Year 6
Recent events Year 6 students have participated in have empowered our students to become more informed, responsible citizens both online and offline.

ySafe Information Session: Building Cyber Resilience
Last week, our Year 6 students actively engaged in a ySafe information session focused on cyber safety. In an increasingly digital world, it’s crucial for our young people to understand the fundamentals of online safety. The session addressed key cyber risks, ranging from online predators to the importance of protecting personal information. Through interactive discussions and real-life examples, students gained valuable insights into navigating the digital landscape safely and responsibly. Our keen volunteers Will, Om and Alex enjoyed participating in the role play and helped share the cyber safety messages with the audience.

Clean Up Australia Day: Taking Action for a Cleaner Environment
In addition to their dedication to cyber safety, our Year 6 students also demonstrated their commitment to our environment by participating in Clean Up Australia Day. This annual event not only raises awareness about the impact of litter on our environment but also encourages individuals to take tangible action to address this issue.

Our students eagerly joined hands with students in junior year levels to clean up litter in our school, contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment for all. Through their involvement in Clean Up Australia Day, our Year 6 students not only learned about the importance of waste management but also developed a sense of responsibility towards caring for their surroundings.

We applaud our Year 6 students for their active participation in these meaningful initiatives.

Mrs Tegan Clavarino
Year 6 Teacher

Music
In the music classroom, students spanning from Pre-Kinder to Year 6 are fully engaged in the study of solfege – a pedagogical method that utilises syllables to represent musical notes. Through a combination of interactive exercises, singing drills and rhythmic activities, students are not only enjoying themselves immensely but also obtaining significant educational benefits. Solfege serves as a powerful tool for enhancing their comprehension of music theory, refining their listening aptitude, and refining their vocal ability.

Ms Sienna Reid
Music Teacher

Community Culture and Country
Coinciding with Clean Up Australia Day last week, Traralgon Junior School Prep to Year 2 students explored the importance of caring for and learning on Country. Incorporating Indigenous ways of thinking and doing, students spent time exploring the great outdoors, learning to identify tracks, and even finding bush foods in our own playground, including saltbush and grevillea flowers.

Building their understanding of the world as a landscape for learning, students are continuing to construct their foundational knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and discovering the parallels with their own worldviews and experiences. In the coming weeks, students will begin exploring how other cultures learn and identifying similarities and differences with their own experiences.

Library
Traralgon Junior School students have been exploring new possibilities in their library classes. Students have actively honed their information processing skills, learning to research, evaluate and present information effectively. Last Friday we celebrated the official opening of our brand-new Futures Centre. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces participating in the tours. There was a great vibe in the air.

Visual Art
Traralgon Year 6 students have been looking at the art of Romero Britto.
They have used mirrors to study their faces and then draw a self-portrait.
The next step is to colour their portraits in the bright, colourful, abstract style of Romero Britto.

Ms Karen Fox
Visual Art Teacher

DONATE A DICTIONARY!

During the upcoming April holidays, a total of nine students from the Traralgon and Warragul Secondary Schools, together with teachers Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park, will be travelling to the Ermera District in East Timor.

Amongst many wonderful experiences, we will be visiting the Pre-Secondary School in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s and be honoured guests at the inauguration of the English Language Study Centre in Malimea Village. We are hoping to present each student at the Ponilala School with an English/Tetun dictionary and leave a class set of dictionaries at the language centre. Each dictionary costs the equivalent of $10AUD and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families of the St Paul’s community would be willing to donate $10 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student. A nameplate with the donor’s name will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift.

Donations can be made via direct deposit into the school’s account or at Reception.

Payment by direct deposit:
Account Name: St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School
BSB: 033 262
Account Number: 190554

Please include the following reference for your payment:
Team Timor [family name]

Our Timorese colleagues will be most grateful for your support.

Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard and Jan Park
Team Timor

TRARALGON CAMPUS ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members, including students receiving tuition outside of school, are most welcome. Please contact Mrs Heather Mason, and/or the listed ensemble director for further information hjmason@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au .

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-Curricular

ALUMNI REUNIONS

Saturday 4 May 2024
Year 9 Centre, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, 150 Bowen Street Warragul
• Class of 2019 – 5 Year Reunion
• Class of 2014 – 10 Year Reunion
• Class of 2004 – 20 Year Reunion

This year we have brought forward the timing of our Alumni Reunions to coincide with the school’s annual Open Day. Moving the reunions earlier provides us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and tour the school in action, see how it has changed and meet some of the current St Paul’s students and staff. Please join us at any stage between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, chat with our Alumni representatives and reminisce over the range of memorabilia on display. You might also like to join the Alumni school tour which will take place at 12:30 pm, before continuing your celebrations with some drinks, nibbles and catch-ups at Bandolier Brewing, 28 Mason Street Warragul, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Please RSVP by completing the registration here before 12 April 2024 for catering purposes.

Michelle Ireland
Community Coordinator
alumni@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

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://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/resources

Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form immediately. The CSEF program for 2024 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 24 June 2024 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2023 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2024), the schools will ‘copy’ the application across from 2023 to 2024 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

CLUBHOUSE BOOT CAMP

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

Our House Swimming and Athletics Carnivals are often highlights of Term 1 for the Secondary Schools and among the splashes and sprints, one of the most enjoyable aspects is undoubtedly the creativity displayed in students’ costumes. From Year 7 to Year 12, our students don themed attire to cheer on their respective houses, turning the swimming sports into vibrant spectacles of colour and imagination.

Meanwhile, the House Athletics Carnival offers Year 12 students a final chance to showcase their spirit as a cohort. This year, we marvelled at a posse of Smurfs, a gaggle of Grandmothers and even a ‘Cash Cow’ braving the heat in a cozy cow onesie, along with an assortment of other entertaining and sometimes slightly ambiguous characters. These costumes not only entertain but also provide a platform for healthy self-expression – an essential part of adolescence.

I have always been amused by the irony of fashion trends that purport to be an expression of the individual, but somehow manage to have everyone wearing much the same outfit. Our need to find a tribe and to fit into a community often supersedes or subverts our desire for personal, individual expression.

While we often appear to place a lot of importance on how we dress, we all know, at least intellectually, that how we dress and what we wear does not always reflect the sort of person we are. Of course, if you suggest this to a group of students, the astute bush lawyer amongst them (of which there is at least one in every class) might pounce on this as an argument against school uniform. “If what we wear does not reflect our ability to learn then why should we have to conform?” And there is some truth to the argument, but the flip side is that, among other things, by removing the social pressure of navigating what to wear to school every day we actually make it easier for students to focus on learning.

Of greater importance than any fashion sense is the development of character. Just as adolescents try on different clothing, images and personas in their journey of self-discovery, so too do they cultivate virtues or character traits that shape the sort of adult they are becoming. Much like choosing the latest fashion, they may emulate traits they admire in others or adopt behaviours they believe will earn them acceptance and admiration. While fashion choices may fluctuate with the seasons, the virtues they cultivate endure. Compassion, kindness, humility and love are the timeless garments that truly define us, far outlasting the fleeting allure of designer labels and celebrity endorsements.

The Apostle Paul draws on the clothing analogy when he writes to the church in Colossae, “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offence. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It is your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” (Colossians 3:12 The Message)

So, as students revel in the joy of carnivals and the creativity of expression they inspire, the challenge for us as parents, carers and educators is to encourage our students not only to express themselves through costume but also to embrace the virtues that truly define their character. Not always an easy task (just like trying to suggest to your 17-year-old son that he might wear something other than black, or your 6-year-old daughter that the little sparkly dress might not be the best choice on a cold winter’s day!) but a vital one as we prepare the next generation for life.

Wishing you all a term filled with discovery, expression and growth.

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain