In this issue

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

Term 2 began with an ANZAC Day service to remember the legacy of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who rowed towards the shores of Gallipoli and into history on 25 April 1915. Our Year 6 Student Leaders David Ogabiela and Arlo Agustin also represented our Junior School at the Traralgon Commemorative Service and laid a wreath at the cenotaph on behalf of our school.

The first few days of the term were all about discussing the importance of ANZAC Day, the ANZAC spirit and how we can learn from history.

There was great excitement on day 1 arrival at school for our students as they discovered the new Prep to Year 2 playground and veggie garden. Over the holiday break, our Maintenance team was very busy removing the old playground and installing the new play equipment. There were also some repairs completed on the school grounds as well maintenance painting and concreting of paths. Many thanks to Rod Atkinson and his team of workers for the huge effort for everything to be finished and ready for the start of term. The new playground and veggie garden have been designed to incorporate natural play spaces as well as the equipment pieces and it has been wonderful to see our youngest students climbing, swinging, balancing and having a great time on the new playground, sandpit area and gardens.
It is with disappointment that I advise you all that Shareena Boyd, Office Manager, has decided to resign and move on from St Paul’s. She will be creating some time to pursue her creative passions and some business opportunities. Shareena has been an integral team player in setting up systems and processes in our administration space and in creating a safe and welcoming environment for students and their families. Her innovative thinking, design skills and generous hospitality will be greatly missed. She is thanked for her hard work and willingness to give above and beyond in all areas of her role. Shareena is sincerely wished the very best as she begins some new adventures. In the interim, whilst our recruitment process is underway, Jeanette Marshall will be supporting the Junior School Office along with Stephanie Vozzo and Kayla Ludbey. I thank everyone for their patience as we navigate this change.

We have welcomed Emily Galea and Justin Woodroffe to Years 4 and Year 5 and they have been busy getting to know students, families and our Junior School. They are both very excited to be joining our team and are looking forward to the term ahead.
We have had a busy sporting calendar already this term, with students competing in Regional Tennis competitions, State Swimming competitions and District Cross Country. Congratulations to everyone involved who represented St Paul’s Junior School in these events and rose to the challenge against tough competition.

Well done to Eshan Shankar who competed in the Regional Tennis and claimed a bronze medal on the day. It was also terrific to see past Traralgon Junior School student, Siena Rikken, competing and winning a silver medal. Well done to our swimmers, Nik Hector, Tyrone Ke, Jayden Tran, Rumindu Rohanachandra and Patrik Wu who travelled to Melbourne Swimming Aquatic Centre, competed with determination and still had high energy after a thirteen-hour day! Congratulations to our thirty-two cross country competitors who braved some chilly weather and ran their hearts out placing 2nd overall on the day. Many thanks to Mr Billy Rilen for his excellent organisation and coordination of these events.

Next week on Thursday 11 May, we will be hosting our annual Mother’s Evening event to celebrate all of our special mums and friends. This event begins at 5:30 pm and will conclude at 7:00 pm with the drawing of the FOSP raffle. We hope to see you all there. Please rsvp via email to tgonadmin@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

Our FOSP group have been very busy organising our Mother’s Day raffle and stall and I thank all parents involved who have been sourcing some beautiful prizes and gifts. Our FOSP stall will be held on Friday 12 May.

Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to celebrate and share gratitude with the women who have helped us become who we are. Not everyone is able to or wants to celebrate a traditional Mother’s Day and for some families, the day can be difficult and bring reminders of loss and grief. In acknowledgment of all the different types of families and their needs, we hope everyone is able to acknowledge the special women who are a part of your families and who contribute in positive ways to your lives whether they are mums, nannas, aunties, sisters or friends. Happy Mother’s Day for Sunday 14 May.

We have had a small number of COVID-19 cases reported across the school since the start of this term. It is important that we maintain vigilance around testing and take all precautions to minimise infection and the further spread of COVID-19 here at school and in our community. We would appreciate it if families could notify Student Services as soon as possible if your child tests positive for COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test).

If a student presents at school symptomatic, then you will be contacted to collect your child and asked to keep them home until they are no longer symptomatic. In the event that a student tests positive to COVID-19 they are recommended to isolate for a minimum of five days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.

We ask that any siblings attending school wear a mask. It is also suggested that close contacts test for at least seven days following their last contact with the person who has COVID-19. We do encourage students to wear masks and we have a supply available at Student Services for students who would like to collect one during the day. We also have a supply of RAT tests available, if families would like a box sent home then please notify Student Services and we will arrange for your student to bring a box home. We appreciate your ongoing support regarding this matter.

Wellbeing Notes
Throughout 2023, we are again working closely with ‘The Resilience Project’ to support the wellbeing of our school community. The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience. Our Partnership Program consists of online presentations and weekly lessons for students, professional development for staff, and Parent & Carer Hub for our parent and carer community. Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing the Parent & Carer Hub with you. The videos are five to ten minutes long and will walk through the key pillars of resilience: Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. You will hear stories and be introduced to activities to show how these strategies can support our children’s learning and development, and also support you as parents and carers.  This program is an important part of our school’s effort to promote positive mental health for our students and our community.

There are five presentations available for parents to view. View the first presentation of the series here: Part 1: Meet Hugh and learn about The Resilience Project: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/

In this presentation, Hugh shares an introduction to The Resilience Project and a personal experience about his sister’s battles with Mental Illness. Please note: This video contains a story about an Eating Disorder that may be triggering. Please consider this before watching. For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Problem-solving and critical thinking are among the most crucial skills a child can learn. They provide children with the foundations for decision-making, logical reasoning, categorising, analytical thinking, negotiation, and creativity. At the beginning of Term 2, students are working on their problem-solving skills. As they do this they will recognise that there are different perspectives and points of view between themselves and members of their community. They will identify and use cooperative strategies such as individual and group decision making. As they engage in Play is the Way games and The Resilience Project as well as other activities, students will practise identifying and solving problems. These topics make great dinner-time conversations!

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
5 May  School Photos
10 May  Studio Concert
11 May  Mother’s Evening Special Event, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
12 May  Mother’s Day FOSP Stall
13 May  Open Day, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
17 May  Whole School Anniversary Service, Warragul
Division Cross Country
19 May  Kammer Konzert
22 May  State Tennis
Studio Concert
23 May  Learning to Read: Parent Information Session, 7:00 pm
District Winter Sport
24 May  National Simultaneous Storytime
26 May  National Sorry Day
29 May  Reconciliation Week
30 May  ELC photos

JUNE
1 June  Region Cross Country
ELC photos
2 June  Years 3 to 6 Netball Clinics
7 June  Division Winter Sport
9 June  Student Free Day
12 June King’s Birthday Public Holiday
15 June  Years 5 and 6 Endeavour Showcase
16 June  Centrepiece
21 June  Classroom EXPO Afternoon, 2:30 pm
ELC Winter Solstice
23 June  BOHO Friday
End of Term 2, 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.

TRARALGON PARENT PRAYER GROUP

The Traralgon Parent Prayer Group started well last month and will meet again on Monday 22 May. The prayer group is open to anyone and currently has a number of parents attending from different local churches. The group meets in the Traralgon Junior School staff room, on the fourth Monday of each month from 9:00 am to 9:30 am. Parents from Junior and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend. Contact the chaplain at the Traralgon Campus, Glen Treble via email gtreble@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au for more details or be brave and just show up.

CLASS UPDATES

Prep
There was excitement in the air as Prep students returned from their first holiday break. Students were eager to get straight to testing the new Prep to Year 2 playground that was installed over the holidays. Students attended their first ANZAC Service at school, along with those from the Secondary School.

In literacy, students have been continuing to build their letter sound knowledge, using this knowledge to spell common CVC words. They have also been beginning to expand their vocabulary, using words such as screamed, shouted and bellowed in place of said and discussed the way which these descriptive words give the reader a more vivid image of the way in which something was said. In Maths, students have been beginning to write and complete addition equations using numbers to ten.

As part of our Integrated Unit, students have also begun learning about families, including identifying who is in their family, that some families may look different from their own and the things that make their family special. What a fantastic start to Term 2 it has been!

Year 1
In Year 1 we have been recording data using tally marks. We are now beginning to present this information in pictographs and can discuss the information these graphs are giving us.

We have been learning about ‘Continents, Countries and Maps’, learning lots of new vocabulary such as hemisphere and equator. We are looking forward to learning about the world this term.

In ICT we have started programming Beebots and Ozobots using directional language. This was so much fun and we all wanted to take them home!

Year 2
The Year 2 students have had a smooth start to Term 2. We have been learning to solve times tables facts using arrays. We have also been learning about full, half and quarter turns. We know that when we turn to the left, that is an anti-clockwise direction and when we turn to the right, that is a clockwise direction.

In writing, we have been learning to use a single paragraph outline to help us plan and write informational reports. We have been learning the four different sentence types; statements, questions, commands and exclamations.

In integrated, we have begun to talk about traditions and will focus on history for the remainder of the term. We explored our local environment with a walk to the wetlands with the Year 1 students.

Year 3
Every Wednesday afternoon, the Years 3 to 6 students look forward to the activities Mr Rilen has planned for Years 3 to 6 Sport. This week was no different, with the wet weather forcing us to stay inside, Mr Rilen planned a couple of activities that required the students to problem solve and practise their teamwork and communication skills. With thanks to the Year 6 leaders, we successfully crossed the river on our mat rafts which allowed us to keep our feet dry.

Year 4
Year 4 has had a wonderful start to Term 2. The students were very excited to recount the things they did over the holidays and have settled back into the classroom, eager to learn.

In Numeracy, they have been revisiting telling time, time intervals and basic operations; while in Literacy, we are working on writing correctly punctuated and descriptive compound sentences.

The focus of our core knowledge this term is Maps and World mountains. The students have enjoyed exploring different types of maps in an Atlas and working out distances between places using scales.

Year 5
During our resilience sessions, Year 5 students have begun the term, thinking about the way they talk to themselves during challenging or tricky situations. They identified that sometimes they can be very critical of their mistakes when compared to a friend who may make the same mistake. They have explored everyday situations and identified positive self-talk and negative self-talk.

Year 6
On Monday 3 April both Year 6 classes went to The Summit! The Summit is an adventure park in Trafalgar East. We did lots of activities to take you out of your comfort zone, we got very muddy, wet, and tired but we had lots of fun! The favourite activities of the majority of Year 6 students were The Flying Fox, The Monster Course and The Snowy River Challenge. The scariest one for us was probably Tash’s Ladder, you had to ascend all the way to the top of a tall tower and climb a ladder that was placed on top. I could imagine it was terrifying for the people who were afraid of heights but still a lot of fun! It was a very enjoyable day with laughter, teamwork and going out of your comfort zone.
The day was an enjoyable day for everyone in Year 6. We learnt how to work as a team and help each other in the process.

By Anna and Sayuni
Year 6 Students

SPORT NEWS

Traralgon Junior School Cross Country Carnival
Burgundy House was the winning House at this year’s Traralgon Junior School Cross Country Carnival on Wednesday 5 April.

Burgundy House Leaders Fraser and Ashlyn with the House Cross Country Shield.

The day was a huge success with hundreds of students taking part in the races. Students from all year levels pushed themselves to do their best, with smiles on their faces and determination in their steps.

Charvi running out to the wetlands.

Jake powering his way to the finish in the Boys 9/10 race.

Stevie and Alba heading for home in the Year 1 girls race.

The ELC students were cheered on as they ran their 400m course, with the Prep students following behind in the 500m race. Years 1 and 2 students ran 700m and 8, 9 and 10 year olds ran 2kms, while the 11, 12 and 13 year olds took on the 3km course.

The Burgundy House team was the winner on the day, with an impressive 126 points. Navy House was close behind with 108 points, followed by Gold House with 89 points and Emerald House with 83 points.

Congratulations to all competitors and a huge thank you to all the staff, parents and volunteers who helped make the day a success.

State Swimming
The Traralgon Junior School swimming team attended the State Swimming Championships held at the Melbourne Swimming and Aquatics Centre Outdoor Pool on Friday 28 April. Despite facing tough competition from participants from schools across Victoria, the team achieved some fantastic results.

Mr Rilen, Patrik, Rumindu, Nik, Tyrone and Jayden.

Jayden Tran had a strong showing in both the 12/13 Boys 50m Breaststroke and the 12/13 Boys 50m Butterfly earning him 7th place in both events.

Jayden diving in for his Breaststroke race.

The 11 Year Old Boys 4x50m Freestyle Relay team of Nik Hector, Patrik Wu, Rumindu Rohanachandra and Tyrone Ke also achieved a 7th place finish and beat their previous relay PB by a staggering 6.51 seconds.

Patrik Wu in Freestyle Relay action.

Tyrone diving in for the final leg of the relay.

Back at school, students cheered the boys on during their event watching the live stream on the big screen.

Many thanks go to Brian Ford and Cam Juha from the Ford Swim Centre who helped train the boys focusing on their relay changeovers, strong starts and fast finishes.

The boys have shown that hard work, dedication and determination can lead to success. Congratulations to the team on their fantastic results.

Gippsland Region Tennis
The Traralgon Tennis Club was host to a successful Gippsland Region Tennis event on Wednesday 26 April.

Twenty boys and twenty girls competed in the singles event, with Eshan Shankar and former Traralgon Junior School Student Siena Rikken claiming the bronze and silver medals respectively.

Eshan Shankar progressed to the quarterfinals after topping pool three in the boys’ draw and was narrowly defeated in the semi-final 4-2 by a student from Gippsland Grammar Sale. He then went on to claim the bronze medal in the third place playoff, defeating a student from Drouin Primary School 4-2.

Eshan Shankar Gippsland Primary Region Tennis Bronze Medalist.

Siena Rikken topped pool four in the girls’ draw and went on to claim the silver medal, going down to a student from St Michael’s Primary School 4-0 in the final.

Siena Rikken Gippsland Primary Region Tennis Silver Medalist.

Congratulations to all the participants for their outstanding performances and a special congratulations to Eshan and Siena for their medals.

Gippsland Region Bowls
The Gippsland Region Bowls held at the Traralgon Bowls Club on Thursday 4 April was an exciting event that saw teams from all over the Gippsland region competing for a chance to take home the title.

The competition was fierce as teams from St Paul’s A and St Paul’s B both competed in their respective pools with hopes of claiming victory. In Pool A, St Paul’s B finished in third place behind the eventual winners, Paynesville Primary School.

Ollie with his eye on the bowl.

Abi showing her fantastic bowling technique.

In Pool B, St Paul’s A also managed to finish in third place behind the runners up, Lindenow Primary School. Both teams played with great sportsmanship and improved as the competition went on.

Well done to all twenty-six students you should be proud of their accomplishments.

Traralgon District Cross Country Carnival
The Traralgon District Cross Country Carnival was held at Agnes Brereton Reserve on Tuesday 2 May, with thirty-four students from St Paul’s Traralgon Junior School representing their school.

In the 12/13 Boys 3 kilometre race, Mason Chan placed 4th with a time of 12:58, followed by Fraser Rong in 8th with a time of 13:24, Jayden Tran in 19th with a time of 14:40 and Eshan Shankar in 26th with a time of 16:04.

The 12/13 Girls 3 kilometre race saw Lilijah Deveson in 4th position with a time of 14:03, Anna Teuber in 9th with a time of 15:05, Ashlyn Bugeja in 14th with a time of 15:54, River Tomski-Booker in 15th with a time of 16:09, Hayley Loeschenkohl in 27th with a time of 19:11 and Melia Sellings in 29th with a time of 20:51.

In the 11 Boys 3 kilometre race, William Lambert placed 3rd with a time of 12:56, followed by Jack Rankin in 21st with a time of 15:43, Frank Kennedy in 23rd with a time of 16:01, Bailey Dalla Valle in 27th with a time of 16:56, Patrik Wu in 29th with a time of 17:05 and Jetson Vella in 30th with a time of 17:06.

The 11 Girls 3 kilometre race saw Georgia Hasthorpe in 2nd position with a time of 13:19, Ava Burslem in 14th with a time of 16:19, Aerin Stockdale in 22nd with a time of 18:49, Evelyn Brady in 23rd with a time of 18:50 and Glodia Law in 29th with a time of 20:28.

In the 9/10 Boys 2 kilometre race, Jake Kaminski placed 5th with a time of 8:40, followed by Kyle Bugeja in 11th with a time of 9:07, Lucas Poole in 13th with a time of 9:09, Benji Szkwarek in 17th with a time of 9:26, Harrison Hogan in 21st with a time of 10:07, and Thomas Piljic in 32nd with a time of 12:32.

The 9/10 Girls 2 kilometre race saw Abi Dean in 1st position with a time of 8:54, followed by Ruby Demetrios in 6th place with a time of 10:01, Ava Lambert in 7th with a time of 10:02, Annika Shankar in 9th with a time of 11:00 and Isa Issac in 27th.

St Paul’s claims 2nd place in the Traralgon District Cross Carnival.

Georgia finishing strong in 2nd place.

Abi charging to victory.

William taking out 3rd place.

St Paul’s finished second overall in the Traralgon District Cross Country Carnival. Congratulations to all the students who participated for their great results. A special congratulations to Mason, Lilijah, William, Georgia, Jake, Abi and Ruby who have all qualified for the Latrobe Valley Division Cross Country Carnival at Gaskin Park, Churchill on Tuesday 2 May .

Billy Rilen
Sport and PE Teacher

JANE GODWIN AUTHOR VISIT

The library was fortunate to host children and Young Adult author Jane Godwin on 2 May. Godwin presented a talk to the Years 5 and 6 students and shared her four-step writing process with them, with the first step being gathering. Godwin discussed how experience, observation and imagination all play a part in this stage of development.
Godwin shared how a conversation with her sister regarding hiding special items in a step, led to her writing the picture book ‘Tilly’. The students then planned a story about a lost child with Nick providing the initial opening line and other students “turning up the volume”. Godwin describes this as taking your writing to another level. Students then had the opportunity to purchase one of Godwin’s books and have it signed.

Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

TRARALGON JUNIOR SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members and students having lessons 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

FINANCE NEWS

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 refer 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 2023 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 16 June 2023 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2022 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2023), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2022 to 2023 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

“We are one, but we are many and from all the lands on earth we’ve come.” – Bruce Woodley
Thirty years ago Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam took a stand against racism post appalling racial abuse directed towards them throughout an AFL game on April 17 1993. Winmar in response to the comments and in an act of immense bravery on the field, lifted his shirt and pointed to his skin communicating to the spectators, “I’m black and I’m proud”.

Nicky Winmar’s moment has been recreated by other athletes who have faced racial abuse and vilification on and off the field – Image Source (sbs.com.au/nitv).

The Collingwood Football Club issued an official statement during the recent ‘Gather Round’ of AFL to mark the thirty years since the incident. The statement reads as follows:
“The Collingwood Football Club acknowledges it has been thirty years since Nicky Winmar lifted his jumper to say “I’m black and I’m proud.” after he and teammate Gilbert McAdam were racially abused at Victoria Park.

Collingwood will play against St Kilda this afternoon and both clubs, together with the AFL, have worked together to ensure a respectful pre-game acknowledgement of the moment which took place on April 17, 1993.

Today, at Collingwood, we do not shy away from ensuring that racism is addressed when we see it or hear it.

The Collingwood Football Club understands that racism is harmful and has no place in our game and apologises to Nicky Winmar and to Gilbert McAdam for the hurt they experienced playing football.

It takes courage to stand against racism and when First Nations people do so, it is our opportunity – all Australians – to listen, learn and change for the better.” (www.sportingnews)

Current statistics indicate that seven in ten students experience racism during their childhood, that every second Aboriginal child experiences racism at sporting events and that one in three adults experience racism in their workplace. (alltogethernow.org.au)

The Australian Human Rights Commission defines racism as “… the process by which systems and policies, actions and attitudes create inequitable opportunities and outcomes for people based on race. Racism is more than just prejudice in thought or action. It occurs when this prejudice – whether individual or institutional – is accompanied by the power to discriminate against, oppress or limit the rights of others.” (Humanrights.gov.au)

How can we as a community make a stand against any such behaviours and how can we as a community, together with the next generation make a difference for the future? Included below is information from the Victorian Education Department that details the ways that racist bullying can present in school contexts.

The information below has been taken directly from the Victorian State Government Education and Training information on racist bullying in schools. While the Department of Education recommends the following strategies for students, they can also be helpful for us as parents and guardians to have in our ‘toolkit’ as well.

Information for students about racist bullying
Everyone has a role in stopping racist bullying. Do not underestimate your ability to make a difference.

This information sheet provides examples of what racist bullying can look like and how to help stop it from happening.

Racist bullying can be:
• Physical, verbal or emotional.
• Online via mobile phones, email, social media and games.
• Frequently making casual offensive comments about a minority group.
• Making jokes that use racial and/or religious stereotypes.
• Offensive graffiti.
• Ridiculing, tormenting, threatening or making fun of physical attributes (such as skin colour, hair or facial features), customs, religion, food, accents, language, cultural or religious dress or music or migration history.
• Making comments that imply that a person is not “Australian”.
• Refusing to socialise, work or cooperate with others because they are from a different cultural or linguistic background.
• Making judgements about a person’s ability or values based on their accent, language or cultural background.
• Religious abuse or vilification.

Impacts of racist bullying
Racist bullying can have a big impact on the person who is being bullied. It can make them feel confused, ashamed, rejected, fearful or embarrassed. It can also have a big impact on how safe they feel at school, and even if they want to go to school. Even if you are not directly involved, seeing and hearing racist bullying can have a negative impact on you and the whole school community.

Preventing racist bullying – making a difference
To prevent racist bullying in your school, you can:
• Remember that your experience of living in Australia might be different from other students’ experiences.
• Respect and learn about the different cultures and religions within and around your school community.
• Be kind to everyone including people who may come from a different culture or country to you.
• Read your school’s bullying prevention and student engagement policy, and suggest any changes you think will make a difference.
• Be an upstander.

Be an upstander and not a bystander
When you hear or see racist bullying, it can be difficult to call it out, but when one person stands up to bullying it encourages others to do the same. Most students admire people who stand up for someone being bullied.

There are lots of things you can do to be an upstander.
Upstanders can:
• Be a friend to the person being bullied.
• Interrupt the bullying by shifting everyone’s attention away from the bullying.
For example, you can do this by:
• Asking the target of the bullying for their help with something or asking them to come and sit with you
• Distracting your friend if they are doing the bullying.
• Leave the situation and then think about what you can do to help.
This can include:
• Supporting the target of the bullying to ask for help from a teacher, the school counsellor or the Wellbeing Coordinator.
• Telling a trusted staff member or your parent/carer about what happened.

Calling out racist bullying can be hard but if it is safe, step in and tell the person doing the bullying that their behaviour is not okay and that they should stop. Do not call the other person a bully – comment on their behaviour, not the person, for example: “That was a mean thing to say.”

What if you have said or done something you think might be racist bullying?
When you think you have done or said something that may be racist bullying, ask yourself:
• Was it kind?
• Did my words or actions put someone down?
• Was I trying to feel powerful or seeking the approval of my friends?
• Even if I thought it was funny, would other people agree?

If you think your words or actions were racist bullying, there are steps you can take to avoid hurting someone’s feelings in the same way again.
• Tell the person you are sorry. Remember that people who feel hurt sometimes will not be ready to accept your apology but that does not mean you should not try.
• Make a conscious effort not to be involved in racist bullying again
• If you see or hear any bullying, including racist bullying, be an upstander, not a bystander.’ (www.education.vic)

Given our devastatingly tragic history in this country, it is of the utmost importance that we have these conversations in our workplaces, schools and wider community groups to be a voice for change. In the words of the Collingwood Football Club “We do not shy away from ensuring that racism is addressed when we see it or hear it and we will continue to listen and learn”.

In our St Paul’s community, we will also continue to have these extremely important conversations, to instill in our children our school values of wisdom, integrity, compassion and respect for the inclusion of all peoples. Racism in this country is complex but quite simply there is always room for us as a community to ‘do better’ to ‘listen, learn’ and ‘make change’. As a collective community, we must commit to the strength of our collective diverse communities, always remembering that “We are one but we are many  – I am, you are, we are Australian”. (Woodley)

References
https://alltogethernow.org.au/racism/racism-in-australia/. (n.d.).
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/race-discrimination/what-racism. (n.d.).
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/racistbullying.aspx#link29. (n.d.).
https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/4901091/The+Seekers/I+Am+Australian. (n.d.).
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/thirty-years-ago-nicky-winmar-took-a-stand-against-racism-now-young-players-are-following-his-lead/riohsfchg. (n.d.).
https://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/news/collingwood-apology-nicky-winmar-gilbert-mcadam/zuuedc4hslfiijwthtxl4blx. (n.d.).

FOSP (Friends of St Paul’s) ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT
Thank you to our FOSP parents and guardians for the brilliant Easter Egg Hunt prior to the Easter break. Our Secondary School students loved the challenge of trying to locate the Golden Egg. At one point I was worried that a couple of staff members may have been accidentally trampled in the stampede of excited children rushing to claim their individual eggs. Congratulations to all students for sharing their finds and a very special congratulation indeed to John O’Brien for finding the elusive Golden Egg.

Year 7 students enjoying their very first Secondary School Easter Egg Hunt.

Our Friends of St Paul’s parents/guardians present John O’Brien the prize for locating the Golden Egg.

Year 8 and Year 9 students enjoying the moment together.

ANZAC DAY SERVICES
The students at Traralgon Secondary School participated in a combined Traralgon Junior School and Traralgon Secondary School ANZAC Service on Monday 24 April as the fog lifted just in time for us to be warmed by the glorious morning sunshine. Riley Alko – Year 10 proudly wore his cadet uniform while our SRC (Student Representative Council) together with the School Captains of the Secondary and Junior Schools supported by our Chaplain Mr Glen Treble and Head of Performing Arts Mr Nathan Byrne helped us all to consider and reflect on the service of others during and throughout the conflict at Gallipoli.

Harry Wight – Year 7 rehearses his reading for the combined ANZAC Service (Traralgon Secondary and Traralgon Junior Schools).

Mrs Sandra Timmer-Arends attended the ANZAC Day Service in Traralgon the following morning with our School Captains, Georgia Vardy and Axel Sellings. Our students were exemplary in their mature approach to these two occasions wearing their uniforms and blazers with respect while laying the wreaths with appropriate reverence. It is in these small moments that I find myself considering how very fortunate every single one of us is, to call Australia our home.

Axel Sellings and Georgia Vardy preparing the lay the wreath prior to the RSL service at the Traralgon cenotaph on Tuesday 25 April.

YEAR 11 PRESENTATION BALL 2023
On Saturday evening I had the pleasure of attending the Presentation Ball at Lardner Park and it was certainly a most spectacular and a ‘simply joyful’ St Paul’s community event. I would like to sincerely thank the Warragul Secondary School team for their hard work in the preparation for the event as well as the many parents and guardians who spent countless hours assisting their children to prepare for this highly anticipated St Paul’s tradition. It was indeed a memorable occasion for many of our Traralgon families who currently have children in Year 11 at the Warragul Campus. This event is one of the many outstanding moments that our children and families will reflect upon and hold in their hearts for many, many years to come.

COVID-19 REMINDERS
Parents/carers are asked to notify the school if a student tests positive for COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen tests -RATs).

Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of five days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved. Students who isolate as a result of a positive COVID-19 test will continue to be supported with updated news from classroom teachers on their individual MyStPauls class pages to support continued learning from home.

Parents of students who are symptomatic will be asked to collect their child from school and to keep them home until they are no longer symptomatic.

Visitors to the school will have masks made available to them upon arrival, although it is not a condition of entry to the school that masks be worn.

We encourage students to wear masks and we have a supply at school should your child wish to wear one. The school still has a number of RATs available for families, these may be collected from Student Services during office hours or we can arrange for a box to be sent home with your child.

The new year continues to bring COVID-19 challenges as we all learn to live with the virus. I hope that everyone stays well this term and continues to look after each other this flu season.

UNIFORM REMINDERS
Thank you to all of the families who had their children’s formal winter uniform ready for our return to school. A reminder to families that students must wear their blazer to and from school in Terms 2 and 3. Those students wearing a shirt must wear it tucked in and a tie must accompany the shirt.

Hairstyle and Grooming
Students must tie their hair back with a plain dark blue, burgundy or white ribbon, or a plain band in one of these colours. Alternate hair accessories are not permitted.
Students may not have hairstyles which are extremes of fashion in terms of length, style or colour. Students’ hair must be above the collar at all times, or tied back neatly.
Beards and moustaches are not permitted.

Jewellery and Make-up
No visible jewellery may be worn except for wristwatches. Students may wear one small, plain (gold or silver) sleeper or stud in the lobe of each ear.
Nose piercings and ear piercings which are not in the lobe of the ear are NOT PERMITTED.
A small, discreet plain crucifix pendant on a thin chain necklace is accepted, but this must hang lower than the collar opening of the dress or shirt.

Other than clear nail polish, make-up and cosmetics may not be worn at school. This includes visible make-up of any kind including blush, lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, artificial eyelashes and artificial fingernails.

KEY DATES AND CALENDAR
Term 2 is another busy term and you can access all of the key school dates through our School Calendar on MyStPauls. The ‘What’s On’ newsletter distributed each Week A on Friday also keeps you abreast of the key dates for the following fortnight as well as each issue of the Grammarian.

Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Mentor, Head of Year or Student Services if you have any questions.

OPEN DAY 2023 – A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
A reminder to our families that Open Day is fast approaching and we invite you to attend on Saturday 13 May 2023 between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Traditionally Open Day is seen as an opportunity for prospective families to tour a school and assess its suitability for their child. We would like to encourage our current families, especially those with a student in Year 9 through to Year 10 to consider Open Day differently for 2023 and beyond.

At our Open Day, each faculty has an allocated space where they promote the subjects that they offer, and display resources, textbooks, novels and other teaching resources. All of our teachers are available to speak with families directly and we would like to encourage our families to use Open Day to begin the subject selection process for 2024.

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 13 May is actually the perfect time to start learning about the different subjects on offer and the time to start asking questions to staff about the content of each course, the assessment involved and general questions about whether or not it will be the right choice for your student.

Subject selection for 2024 will occur in August but it does happen 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.

Another reason to attend is to experience our school. Many parents and carers haven’t been through the buildings in many years, may not know or remember the co-curricular activities on offer and may just want to speak to staff in general.

Open Day is a great opportunity to visit St Paul’s and we look forward to seeing many of our current families on the day.
PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY
As the weather becomes cooler and the days shorter, we all need to drive a little more carefully on damp and dark roads to keep everyone safe. All vehicles are to progress throughout our property at a very slow speed of ten kilometres per hour or under. The movements of children can be swift and unpredictable around vehicles at pickup and drop-off times and your kind cooperation in adhering to the speed limit and taking some extra care when moving throughout the school grounds is very much appreciated by students and staff alike.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
5 May  East Timor Movie Night, 6:00 pm
8 May  SEISA Victorian Sports Association Swimming Championships
DAV Debating, Round 2
10 May  Studio Concert
11 May  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 1
12 May  SEISA Golf Day
13 May  Open Day, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
17 May  Anniversary Assembly
18 May  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 2
19 May  Kammer Konzert
22 May  DAV Debating, Round 3
Studio Concert

JUNE
1 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 3
8 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 4
9 June  Student Free Day
12 June  King’s Birthday Public Holiday
15 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 5
16 June  Centrepiece
20 June  SEISA Intermediate/Senior Trials
22 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Finals
Cross Country Trials
23 June  Boho Friday
End of Term 2, 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.

UPCOMING TEAM TIMOR FUNDRAISING

The co-curricular group, Team Timor is looking forward to hosting two fundraisers early this term. The Social Evening is the first event to be held on Friday 5 May and is open to all students from Years 7 to 10. It promises to be a fun night of games, snacks and a movie!

Students have been preparing items for the Mother’s Day stalls, to be held on Wednesday 10, Thursday 11 and Friday 12 May during lunchtime. There will be a range of items for sale including some East Timorese tais (weaving) products, hand-made cards (created by students and supporters of East Timor), small potted plants, biscuits and pancakes in jars and more! Prices range from $3 to $60.  Please keep in mind we can only take cash sales at this stage.

As always, we will continue to sell bags of 100 per cent organic Timorese Coffee throughout the year. It really is a smooth coffee and well worth trying.

Thank you for the ongoing support of fundraising for the English Language Study Centre in Malimea Village, East Timor. For more information, please contact Kirsten Enders kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Kirsten Enders
Head of TSS Team Timor

JANE GODWIN – AUTHOR VISIT

Tuesday 2 May saw the library host children’s and Young Adult author Jane Godwin. Godwin began the day by hosting a masterclass in writing with a small selection of Years 9 and 10 students. The group discussed the writing process and undertook two quick writing sessions. Their writing produced some fascinating results with Conner transporting his character back in time through a mystical fog. While Kate wrote about a boy running, falling, and causing panic within a crowd. This piece received applause from the students.
A quote from Godwin when discussing planning was, “A plan is like headlights in the fog, it allows you to see your next step”.

The Year 7 cohort followed. Godwin discussed her books ‘As Happy as Here’, ‘A Walk in the Dark’ and ‘When Rain Turns to Snow’. She also shared some funny and relatable anecdotes of her inspiration for her characters based on her observation of people.
Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

TRARALGON CAMPUS EQUESTRIAN PARTICIPANTS CONTINUE TO SHINE

The Traralgon Campus Equestrian team has once again made us proud by participating in the Lardner Park Dressage Interschool Competition held on Friday 24 March. The competition witnessed some of the most talented equestrian riders from various schools in the region.

We are pleased to announce that our very own Hayden Doupain and Phoebe Cavill were among the participants; they competed remarkably well, showcasing their exceptional riding skills and techniques. Our team members were up against some stiff competition, but they demonstrated great poise, determination, and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
We congratulate all our team members on their excellent performance at the event. We are proud of their hard work and dedication, which has been evident throughout their preparation for the competition. Their outstanding performance at this event reflects their dedication, commitment, and passion for equestrian sports.

We would like to thank our parents and supporters for their unwavering support and encouragement, which has helped the team to perform exceptionally well. We are confident that our team members will continue to excel in their chosen sport and represent our school with pride in future events.

Donna Byrne
Director of Learning and Teaching – Traralgon Secondary

SPORT NEWS

Years 9 and 10 House Cross Country trials
Last Thursday, during our pastoral sessions, our Years 9 and 10 students participated in the House Cross Country trials. With perfect weather to start the day, the students were treated to ideal running conditions. The course took the students along the school oval, paddock and then through to the wetlands. The girls completed a three kilometre course and the boys completed five kilometres. Our Year 9 female winner was Mica Nightingale who ran 14:20; Year 9 Male winner was Samuel Wight (21:04); Year 10 female winner was Ella Warner (16:20) and the Year 10 male winner ran 23:42.

Our Years 7 and 8 House Cross Country trials will be held later in the term.

Years 9 and 10 students starting off on the XC course.

Year 9 Girls placegetters.

Years 9 and 10 placegetters.

SEISA Winter Junior Sport trials
Also held last Thursday was our SESIA Winter Junior Sport trials. Our Warragul students travelled down to our campus. We had so many students in Years 7 and 8 that signed up to trial for the sports on offer: soccer, AFL, AFLW, basketball and mixed hockey. With so many students trialling, it made it difficult for our coaches to select their teams. Our first round kicks off next Thursday against Beaconhills Berwick.

2023 Australian Age Championships held in Queensland
Our campus was very fortunate to have two Year 8 students, Brody Cargill and Hallie Hughes who qualified for the 2023 Australian Age Championships held in Queensland over the holiday. To be eligible to compete at that level, they had to record a national qualifying time. Brody swam the 400IM and finished in a time 5:12.46 which placed him 27th and Hallie swam the 50m backstroke in a time of 34.45 and placed 99th.

Brody Cargill at Nationals.

Hallie Hughes at Nationals.

This is such an amazing feat and something both Brody and Hallie have focused their preparation on.

Sandra Timmer-Arends
Head of Years 9 and 10
Head of Sport – Traralgon Campus
Health and Physical Education

TRARALGON PARENT PRAYER GROUP

The Traralgon Parent Prayer Group started well last month and will meet again on Monday 22 May. The prayer group is open to anyone and currently has a number of parents attending from different local churches. The group meets in the Traralgon Junior School staff room, on the fourth Monday of each month from 9:00 am to 9:30 am. Parents from Junior and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend. Contact the chaplain at the Traralgon Campus, Glen Treble via email gtreble@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au for more details or be brave and just show up.

TRARALGON SECONDARY SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members and students having lessons 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

FINANCE NEWS

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 refer 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 2023 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 16 June 2023 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2022 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2023), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2022 to 2023 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.

We have hit the ground running this term with our ANZAC Day Service, Division Athletics, Years 4 and 5 Author visit from Jane Goodwin and the Year 6 camp, all in the first two weeks.

A reminder that our Office Coordinator, Bec Creed, finished up with us at the end of last week and that families should use the WarragulJuniorAdminStaff@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au email address for all office enquiries. Could I also remind families – ELC and Junior School not to park and leave cars in the pick-up lane after 3:10 pm as this affects our traffic flow at the end of the day.

Welcome
We welcomed back Savi and Seya Amarasooriya this week after they had spent the past twelve months overseas. Savi joins 2W1, while Seya has commenced in 5W1.

ANZAC Day Service
Junior School students joined together with the Secondary School at the Lone Pine on the first day of term for our ANZAC Day Service. My thanks to Mr Barkla and the students who were involved in running the service and to all students who were respectful throughout the service. Our Junior School Captains, Joe and Nina represented St Paul’s at the service in Warragul on ANZAC Day.

Division Athletics
Well done to the students who competed at the West Gippsland Division Athletics Carnival at the Joe Carmody Athletics Track, Newborough on Tuesday. The majority of students who competed have progressed through to regional, which will be held later in the year. Thanks to Mr Boraston, Ms Denton and Mrs Pratt who attended and assisted on the day.

Year 6 Camp
Year 6 enjoyed their camp experience at Camp Coolamatong this week. There was a mixture of weather, however, that did not dampen the students’ enthusiasm. Students participated in sailing, tubing, bush cooking, climbing and abseiling, farming, archery, canoeing, Indigenous education, low ropes, bike orienteering, enjoyed a boat ride to Raymond Island, played beach games at Ocean Grange and went on a koala walk. Thanks to the staff who attended the camp.

Uniform
A reminder that from Monday, students in Years 3 to 6 must wear the winter uniform, including the school blazer to and from school each day (students may wear shorts).

COVID – Information for families
It is important that we all remain vigilant regarding COVID-19 and take all precautions to minimise infection and the spread of COVID-19 here at school. We would appreciate it if families could continue to notify the Junior School Office if your child tests positive for COVID-19 (via a PCR or RATs).

If a student presents at school symptomatic, you will be contacted to collect your child from school and asked to keep them home until they are no longer symptomatic. If a student tests positive to COVID-19 they are recommended to isolate for a minimum of five days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.

It is important to notify the school as soon as possible so we can provide academic support to your child as required and dependent on the severity of their symptoms.

We do encourage students to wear masks if considered a close contact and we have a supply available in classrooms for students to wear. We also have a supply of RATs available, if families would like a box sent home then please notify the office and we will arrange for your child to bring a box home.

Mother’s Day Stall
FOSP will be holding our Mother’s Day stall next Friday. Gifts will range from $1 to $10 and students will need to bring a bag to put their purchases in. Unfortunately, there will be no IOUs on the day. If any parents/carers can assist with the stall between 9:00 am and 11:00 am, please contact Mrs Leighton or the Junior School Office.

School Photos – Friday 26 May
School photos will be taken on Friday 26 May commencing with sibling photos from 8:30 am. A flyer showing how to register will be emailed to families soon and I ask that you register for Sibling photos. Parents will order their photos online using their unique image codes that will be issued to all students on 26 May. Registration is simple, just follow the three simple steps on your child’s personalised flyer and remember to add the codes for all your children attending our school. Even if you registered last year, it is important that you do again this year using your child’s 2023 image code to link their images for the current year with your contact details. When images are ready to view and in the webshop, all parents who have registered will be notified by SMS and email. Once registered, please wait for notification that 2023 images are online to view before making your purchase.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
8 May  Year 3 Excursion to Scienceworks
12 May  Mother’s Day Stall
13 May  Open Day, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
17 May  Whole School Anniversary Assembly, Secondary School Gymnasium, 10:30 am
Studio Concert, Warragul Secondary School, Parker Centre and Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 7:00 pm
23 May  Division Cross Country (selected students only)
24 May  National Simultaneous Storytime
26 May  National Sorry Day
Family and School Photos
27 May to 3 June  Reconciliation Week

JUNE
1 June  Regional Cross Country (selected students only)
5 June  Parent Prayer Group, Prideaux Centre, 9:00 am
9 June  Student Free Day
12 June  King’s Birthday Public Holiday
13 June  Prep Community Excursion
23 June  End of Term 2, 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.

JANE GODWIN AUTHOR VISIT

The library was fortunate to host children’s and Young Adult author Jane Godwin on 3 May. Godwin presented an engaging talk to the Years 4 and 5 students, sharing her four-step writing process with them. Godwin discussed the ways in which experience, observation and imagination all play a part in the early stages of development.

Students with author Jane Godwin.

She also shared how the inspiration for her CBCA shortlisted picture book ‘Tilly’, was from her own life – her sister would hide special items in a hidden step and never told a soul. The students enjoyed hearing this and other entertaining personal anecdotes that have inspired her writing. Many students had the opportunity to purchase Godwin’s books and have them signed by the author.

Stephanie Yeates
Teacher-Librarian Warragul Secondary School

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 Monday 5 June, 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School
Contact:  Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com

WARRAGUL JUNIOR SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

New members and students having lessons 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

CANTEEN NEWS

Welcome to Term 2!
A few changes have happened over the break. Some drinks are no longer available to the Junior School, so make sure you are ordering from the right menu. Junior School students from Junior Menu and Secondary School students from the Secondary Menu. Some specials are only for Secondary School students and will not be delivered to the Junior School.

Specials this term:
Tuesday – Sushi
Wednesday – Tortellini Carbonara (Beef Tortellini, Bacon, Cheese and Cream)
Thursday – Hot Dogs and Chicken Souvlaki Wraps
Friday – Fried Rice, Chicken Souvlaki Wraps and Sushi

MunchMonitor instructions below:

FINANCE NEWS

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 refer 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 2023 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 16 June 2023 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2022 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2023), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2022 to 2023 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

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

ANZAC Day
On Monday 24 April, the Secondary School was joined by the Junior School students for our annual school-based ANZAC Service. Lead by student leaders from across both sub-schools, it was a reflective and reverent service to mark this occasion.
On Tuesday 25 April our School Captains Alannah Rogalsky and Ben Francis marched with Mr Herbert at the Warragul ANZAC Day Service. Alannah was also bestowed with the honour of reciting the ANZAC requiem and both School Captains were outstanding representing our school at such an important occasion.

Presentation Ball
The annual Presentation Ball was held at Lardner Park on Saturday 29 April with the theme of ‘Fun of the Fair’ and what a wonderful evening it was.
I would like to congratulate all of our students who participated for their commitment to the event and the way in which they conducted themselves on the night, they were outstanding. I would also like to thank all of those involved for creating such a special evening for our students including event organisers, Mrs Michelle Ireland and Mrs Christine Gardner, our dance instructor Ms Michelle Theunissen-Scott and the parent helpers who decorated the venue beautifully on the night. There were so many others who contributed in many ways and we extend our warmest thank you to those people as well.

2023 Presentation Ball parent helpers: Emily Brown, Catherine McKenna, Narelle Lockwood and Chris Vanschyndel.

Michelle Ireland, Michelle Theunissen-Scott and Christine Gardner in front of the beautiful backdrop created by St Paul’s staff members – Lynton Allan, Stephanie Lambert, Phillip Coombs and Allison Cameron.

Open Day 2023 – A great opportunity
A reminder to our families that Open Day is fast approaching and we invite you to attend on Saturday 13 May 2023 between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Traditionally Open Day is seen as an opportunity for prospective families to tour a school and assess its suitability for their child. We would like to encourage our current families, especially those with a student in Year 9 through to Year 11 to consider Open Day differently for 2023 and beyond.

At our Open Day, each faculty has an allocated space where they promote the subjects that they offer, and display resources, textbooks, novels and other teaching resources. All of our teachers are available to speak with families directly and we would like to encourage our families to use Open Day to begin the subject selection process for 2024.

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 13 May is actually the perfect time to start learning about the different subjects on offer and the time to start asking questions to staff about the content of each course, the assessment involved and general questions about whether or not it will be the right choice for your student.

Subject selection for 2024 will occur in August but it does happen 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.

Another reason to attend is to experience our school. Many parents and carers have not been through the buildings in many years, may not know or remember the co-curricular activities on offer and may just want to speak to staff in general.

Open Day is a great opportunity to visit St Paul’s and we look forward to seeing many of our current families on the day.
Student Absentees
The parent/guardian of any absent student should contact the School to notify us of the student’s absence, preferably by 9:30 am. The absentee phone number is 5622 6103 or families can email Student Services. A note indicating the date/s and reason for absence should be sent with the student to hand to their Mentor when the student returns to school. Parents will receive an SMS on their mobile after 9:30 am if the student is absent with no notification.

Term 2 Examination Period
The Term 2 examination period begins during Week 6 for our Year 11 students and during Week 7 for our Years 9 and 10 students. Considering Monday marks the start of Week 3 it is important that students in these year levels are including revision of Term 1 content and current content in their weekly homework and study schedules. The examination timetable will be released to students through the Head of Year during Pastoral time when it is finalised.

GAT and Practice GAT – all students studying a Unit 3 and 4 subject
The 2023 General Achievement Test (GAT) will be held on Thursday 15 June 2023. All Victorian senior secondary students undertaking a Unit 3 and 4 study are required to sit the GAT.

This year, the GAT assessment will run over the whole day and is split into two sessions:
• Section A will assess literacy and numeracy skills
• Section B will assess skills in Mathematics, Science, Technology, the Arts and Humanities, with an increased focus on critical and creative thinking skills.

It is important to complete the GAT to the best of your ability for a number of reasons:
• GAT results are used to check that VCE external assessments and school-based assessments have been accurately and fairly assessed.
• GAT results may play a part in determining the final score for a VCE external assessment if a student has a derived examination score approved for that assessment.
• The GAT has an additional purpose of measuring student literacy and numeracy skills.

While it is important that students attempt the GAT (for the reasons stated above), the test does not count directly towards your VCE. No special or extra study will be required. Past study of subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and History prepares students for the GAT by building their general knowledge and skills in writing, numeracy and reasoning.

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School will be conducting a COMPULSORY Practice GAT on the afternoon of Thursday 11 May. The practice GAT will be conducted in the same environment and under the same conditions as the end-of-year-exams, including the use of VCAA staff to supervise.

In addition to the planned Practice GAT, during the pastoral session in Week 2, students were informed of the GAT structure and were privileged to hear from Ms Natalie Bellis (Head of Languages) who had lots of tips and advice for completing the written sections of the GAT. Her presentations have been filed on the Year 12 and Year 11 pastoral pages for further reference.

If a student is absent from school on Thursday 11 May they should contact their Head of Year as soon as is practicable.

AUTHORISED MATERIAL:
• Students are permitted to bring into the examination room: pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, sharpeners, rulers and an English and/or bilingual dictionary.
• Students are NOT permitted to bring into the examination room: blank sheets of paper and/or corrections fluid/tape
• No calculator is allowed in this test

Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised electronic devices into the examination room.

Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
5 May  Team Timor Social Night, Warragul Secondary School Library, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Years 11 and 12 Theatre Studies Performance and Director’s Forum – SAC Assessment, 7:00 pm to 8:45 pm
7 May  Sport Aerobics Regional Qualifiers, Patterson River Secondary College, 7:45 am to 3:30 pm
8 May  Combined SEISA Victorian Sports Association Swimming Championships, Melbourne Sports Centres (MSAC), 12:45 pm to 10:00 pm
9 May  Macbeth Excursion, Arts Centre Melbourne, Years 11 and 12 Theatre Studies, Years 9 and 10 Drama, 4:00 pm to 10:30 pm
11 May  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 1
Practice GAT, Year 12 and some Year 11 students, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
12 May  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
13 May  Open Day, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
15 May  John Noble Workshop (AOM), Warragul Secondary School, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
17 May  Studio Concert, select Performing Art students, DT Parker Centre and Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
18 May  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 2
Parent Feedback Session My Careers (ZOOM), Years 9, 10 and 11 families, 7:00 pm
19 May  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
Year 9 City Experience – Day 3, Melbourne CBD, 7:06 am to 4:48 pm
Kammer Konzert Rehearsal, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Kammer Konzert, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
25 May  SEISA Music Day 1, select Performing Art students, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
House Cross Country
DAV Debating – Round 2, St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar, 4:15 pm to 10:00 pm
26 May  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
SEISA Music Day 2, select Performing Art students, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Family and Catch Up School Photos, Warragul Junior School Gymnasium
Years 7 and  8 Disco, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

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.

JANE GODWIN – AUTHOR VISIT

On Wednesday 2 May, the library was lucky enough to host children’s and Young Adult award-winning author, Jane Godwin. Godwin spoke engagingly to the Year 7 cohort, where she discussed her books ‘As Happy as Here’, ‘A Walk in the Dark’ and ‘When Rain Turns to Snow’. She shared with our students her four-step writing process, how she imagines and develops her characters, as well as the variety of places she draws inspiration from. In doing so, she also shared some funny and relatable anecdotes about her inspiration for characters, based on her observations of everyday people.

Students engaged in author Jane Godwin’s talk.

Author Jane Godwin with Johan Christob, Daniel Rajan, Cooper Snell, Tianjah May, Edi Christensen, Sam McWilliam, Lucy Owen and Alistair McArdle.

Jane Godwin’s visit was an incredibly enriching experience for the students, helping them to understand and develop the creative writing process.

Stephanie Yeates
Teacher-Librarian Warragul Secondary School

UPCOMING TEAM TIMOR FUNDRAISING

The co-curricular group, Team Timor is looking forward to hosting two fundraisers early this term. The Social Evening is the first event to be held on Friday 5 May and is open to all students from Years 7 to 12. It promises to be a fun night of games, snacks and a movie. An email was sent to all parents from Consent2Go last week with details. Parents can register their child’s attendance up until 5:00 pm this Friday afternoon.
Students have been preparing items for the Mother’s Day stalls, to be held on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 May during lunchtime. There will be a range of items for sale including some East Timorese tais (weaving) products, hand-made cards (created by students and supporters of East Timor), small potted plants, macramé hanging jars and more! Prices range from $3 to $60. Please keep in mind we can only take cash sales at this stage.
Thank you for the ongoing support of fundraising for the English Language Study Centre in Malimea Village, East Timor. For more information, please contact Andrea Heard aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Andrea Heard
Head of Warragul Secondary School Team Timor

PRESENTATION BALL 2023

As the sun set over the horizon, a fairground buzz filled the air, as excited guests filled the Lardner Park Events Centre patiently waiting for the ninety-three nervous Presentation Ball participants to make their entrance.

During the formal presentations, each student was able to share a small snippet about themselves and their future goals. Following presentations, the moment the participants had been training ten weeks for arrived – the dancing! Instructed by the amazing Michelle Theuinssen-Scott, guests were wowed by the choreographed girls’ dance, two formal progressive dances, a boys’ dance, a modern whole group dance and the opportunity to invite a special person up to the dancefloor to dance with them.
It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to get to know each other better, working together and supporting each other through the learning process of formal dance lessons.
The evening was a celebration of individuality, and a reward for their hard work and willingness to step out of their comfort zones.

Christine Gardner
Commerce/Humanities and Textiles Teacher

WARRAGUL SECONDARY SCHOOL ENSEMBLE REHEARSALS

Warragul Secondary School Ensemble Rehearsal Schedule
*Soul Band and Jazz Combo are audition/invitation ensembles only. Please contact Mr Chris Staben for further information regarding these ensembles crstaben@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

New members and students having lessons 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

CANTEEN NEWS

Welcome to Term 2!
A few changes have happened over the break. Some drinks are no longer available to the Junior School, so make sure you are ordering from the right menu. Junior School students from Junior Menu and Secondary School students from the Secondary Menu. Some specials are only for Secondary School students and will not be delivered to the Junior School.

Specials this term:
Tuesday – Sushi
Wednesday – Tortellini Carbonara (Beef Tortellini, Bacon, Cheese and Cream)
Thursday – Hot Dogs and Chicken Souvlaki Wraps
Friday – Fried Rice, Chicken Souvlaki Wraps and Sushi

MunchMonitor instructions below:

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 Monday 5 June, 9:00 am in the Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School
Contact:  Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937 or sheryn.cutler@gmail.com

FINANCE NEWS

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 refer 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 2023 closes at the end of Term 2. All forms must be received by 16 June 2023 to be processed.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2022 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2023), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2022 to 2023 on the CSEF system. The CSEF system will automatically validate the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink.

A LITTLE KNOWN BIT OF ANZAC HISTORY

Australians do not like to be thought of as particularly religious. Even though more than half of the population still reports an affiliation with a recognised religion, being labelled as “religious” is not a comfortable identifier for many. While we may not like the “religious” label, Australians can still be very religious. Take ANZAC Day for example. Every year people of all ages and from all walks of life gather around the country in recognition of the role of our armed forces and in remembrance of all Australians killed in military operations. Many schools hold services with their student body and at St Paul’s these services are led by our student leaders across all campuses. Such commemorative services are usually sombre, reflective, and rich with religious language and symbolism. For a moment, Australians become very religious.

There is much that is familiar about ANZAC Day services but I recently learnt a piece of history that I had not been aware of and thought it worth sharing. Something I did not know was that we have an Anglican Priest to thank, not just for the format of these ANZAC Day services but also for the nationally consistent recognition of ANZAC Day. Anglican parish priest Canon David John Garland (1864-1939) was described as “overpoweringly energetic with a distinctive flair, if not genius, for organisation” and he played a pivotal role in the development of ANZAC Day commemoration.

Canon Garland was chaplain to soldiers assembled for the Boer War at Fremantle from the late 1890s until 1902 and for First AIF soldiers who assembled in Brisbane before shipping off overseas between 1915 and 1917. He then served as a chaplain in the Middle East from 1917 to 1919. He developed special burial services for those laid to rest at cemeteries. He raised funds for memorials to honour those who served, for soldiers’ hostels both home and abroad to provide places of safe respite from war, for hospitals and for gravesite management.

As a member of the ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee (Queensland) Incorporated (the “ADCCQ”) from 1916, he campaigned relentlessly for government legislation so that ANZAC Day could be set aside as a public day for solemn commemoration of The Fallen of World War I. This was achieved in 1921.

His connections to the most influential politicians, business leaders, military chiefs and clerics of his generation – throughout Australia and New Zealand – helped harmonise the approaches individual State, Commonwealth and local authorities took to marking ANZAC Day, and he then successfully persuaded the general public, captains of industry and the clergy of all denominations and creeds to accommodate this singular day of remembrance. Federal harmony was achieved in Australia by 1930.

“Devoted to the cause of a non-denominational commemoration that could be attended by the whole of Australian society, Garland worked amicably across all denominational divides, creating the framework for ANZAC Day commemorative services. Garland is specifically credited with initiating the ANZAC Day march, the wreath-laying ceremonies at memorials and the special church services, the two minutes silence, and the luncheon for returned soldiers. Garland intended the silence to be used in lieu of a prayer to allow the ANZAC Day service to be universally attended, allowing attendees to make a silent prayer or remembrance in accordance with their own beliefs. He particularly feared that the universality of the ceremony would fall victim to religious sectarian disputes.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_John_Garland)

An ANZAC Day editorial printed in 1924 made the following observation “There is another side to the observance which is not less worthy and that is the carrying of the recollection of ANZAC Day into our elementary schools, where soldiers and others well qualified for the task tell the boys and girls the story of ANZAC and implant in their impressionable minds the morals of loyalty, devotion, patriotism and sacrifice which Gallipoli enshrines.” (“Lest We Forget” ANZAC Day editorial, 1924 Published by The Garland Collection on April 25, 1924)

It is worth pondering that almost one hundred years later, as contemporary Australia wrestles with the place of religion in society, the values enshrined in the ANZAC tradition are still recognised and celebrated today thanks in part to the work of an Anglican priest with an ability to bring together people of all faiths and none for a common good. Not a bad role model for an Anglican School.

(For more information on Canon Garland go to https://garlandmemorial.com/about-garland/)

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain