In this issue

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

Open Day 2023
Our Open Day, held on Saturday 13 May, was a wonderful success. We had over 100 students on campus assisting in a range of roles; rehearsing the 2023 production of ‘Puffs’, performing in various bands and ensembles, representing the school as Tour Guides, promoting their co-curricular clubs and activities and participating in Year 12 revision sessions. We were blessed with beautiful weather and we had a very large turnout of both prospective and current families. We would like to thank the school community for their support and for allowing your children to participate on the day and represent our school, they were the most wonderful ambassadors.

Whole School Anniversary Service 2023
On Wednesday all staff and students at St Paul’s gathered at the Warragul Campus for the annual Whole School Anniversary Service. Our School Captains, Alannah Rogalsky and Ben Francis, were fantastic in their MC role contributing with poise and presence. Throughout the service and during the keynote address we were reminded by Mr Rich Langham from Anglicare of the importance of including everyone, to be an ‘inclusivity superhero’ within our communities, that is, to be the person that welcomes others with a big smile, that invites others to join in games, activities and friendship groups. He also shared with us that his work and passion within the community is to support all people to “… discover how amazing they truly are … “. Throughout the service, Reverend Lynton Allan painted an inclusive banner on a large screen, and as the service progressed the composition came together as a resolved work of symbolic significance. The St Paul’s Pipe Band lifted spirits with ‘Amazing Grace’ while many of the younger children greatly enjoyed the Warragul Soul Band’s performance of ‘I feel good’ so much so, that they were dancing in their seats! Many thanks to Reverend Daniel Lowe and the entire Warragul team for the smooth coordination of our 41st anniversary celebrations at St Paul’s.
Year 7 Homework
After a lovely term of no homework in order to support a gentle transition to secondary school, all Year 7 students are now expected to complete approximately two hours of homework during the week in addition to reading. Students should be using their diaries to record their homework each day. Students are advised to set up a study space that is reserved for homework. Homework in Year 7 may include completing assessment tasks, finishing some questions, revising for tests or completing their wider reading. It is very important that organised homework routines are established during Year 7 because they will lay the foundation for subsequent years. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Mentor if you feel that they need additional assistance with their homework routine or strategies.

Year 7 Mentor team
7.1 Mentor Daniel Printannier: dprintannier@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
7.2 Mentor Tania Brown: tbrown@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
7.3 Mentor Thomas Hardy: thardy@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
7.4 Mentor Vanessa Loomes: vloomes@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Allergy Aware Foods and Energy Drinks
We have a number of students with anaphylaxis within our Warragul community. This is a life-threatening condition for many children in Australian schools. Parents and guardians are reminded that, where possible, students should bring nut free products to school each day. We do ask when students attend excursions and camps that they do not bring any nut products or any foods that contain known allergens.

We also ask parents to speak with their children about the dangers of products with known allergens, so they are aware to dispose of wrappers and wash their hands thoroughly after consumption.

We also request that energy drinks are not provided by families for our children at school. There is a school-wide ban on these beverages as they contain caffeine and other ingredients that may be harmful to our children’s health in both the short and long term. The Australian Beverages Council states that “… although energy drinks contain only as much caffeine as instant coffee they are not recommended for children”. Other widely published research suggests that these types of beverages may cause high blood pressure, irritability and anxiety in children when consumed. Your kind and ongoing support with this would be greatly appreciated by our staff.

Comparative Reports
At the end of each semester, parents may request that the school provide them with written information that clearly shows their child’s achievement compared to his or her peer group at the school.  The information will show parents the number of children in the group in each of the achievement levels/subjects.  However, where group numbers are less than 12 this data will not be provided, in order to protect the privacy of the students in the class.  Class teachers will instead explain the student’s level relative to their peers, without identifying the number in each band.

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.

Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
19 May  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
22 May  Cycling/Mountain Bike Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 7:15 am to 8:15 am
23 May  Year 8 Online Class with Hokuzan Japan, 9:40 am to 10:30 am
25 May  SEISA Music Day 1, select Performing Art students, 9:00 am to 5:15 pm
House Cross Country
DAV Debating – Round 3, 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 6:45 pm
Family and Catch Up School Photos, Warragul Junior School Gymnasium
Years 7 and  8 Disco, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
29 May  Year 9 Online Class with Hokuzan Japan, 9:35 am to 10:25 am

JUNE
1 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 3
1 to 7 June  Year 11 Exams
2 June  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
Sport Aerobics State Finals, Rowville Secondary College, 7:00 am to 3:15 pm
5 June  Cycling/Mountain Bike Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 7:15 am to 8:15 am
St Paul’s Parent Prayer Group, Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School, 9:00 am
7 to 8 June  Years 9 and 10 Exams
8 June  Year 11 Exam Catch-Up Day
SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 4 (BYE)
DAV Debating – Round 4, St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar, 4:15 pm to 10:00 pm
9 June  Student Free Day (Assessment Day)
Years 9 and 10 Exam Catch-Up Day
12 June  King’s Birthday Holiday
13 June  Semester 2 Commences
15 June  GAT (General Achievement Test), Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium
SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 5
16 June  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
Centrepiece Rehearsal, Select Performing Arts students, West Gippsland Arts Centre, 9:00 am to 3:10 pm
Centrepiece, Select Performing Arts students, West Gippsland Arts Centre, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
20 June  SEISA Intermediate/Senior Trials, Traralgon Secondary School
21 June  Year 11 VET First Aid Course, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium Classroom, 9:00 am to 3:10 pm
21 to 23 June  Year 9 City Camp, Melbourne CBD, 7:06 am to 4:48 pm
22 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport Finals
23 June  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
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.

NATIONAL eSMART WEEK IS NEARLY HERE!

National eSmart Week runs from 22 to 28 May and across all sub-schools, St Paul’s will be celebrating this wonderful initiative by the Alana and Madeline Foundation.

This year’s theme is ‘Be your best self online’.

Throughout the week, our students will be prompted to think about what role they may play in the lives of others online and how to maintain a positive digital representation of themselves.

Most importantly, conversations in their classrooms with mentors will consider how they can be great role models, how to recognise when someone else is being mistreated online and how they could respond if something like this were to arise in their lives.

We look forward to continuing a dialogue at school about how our students can continue to be safe and responsible online.

Thomas Hardy
eLearning Coordinator

2023 YEARS 9 TO 11 SEMESTER 1 EXAMS

Students from Years 9, 10 and 11 are well on their way preparing for the upcoming examination period that commences on Thursday 1 June until the following week. Below you will find the 2023 Semester 1 examination timetable.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to experience the requirements of formal exams and understand the importance of building key study habits in preparation for the future.

Our Heads of Year and classroom teachers have been working with students to help them manage their time and understand the nature of formalised exams.

Student Examination Reminders:

Mobile phones
Students are not permitted to bring in their mobile phone or smart watch into the examination hall. All mobile phones must remain in your locked locker.

Uniform
Full school uniform is to be worn. Not sports uniform.

Water bottles and pencil cases
Clear transparent plastic water bottles with no labels.
Clear pencil cases are to be used, you are also permitted to bring in a clear snap lock bag or an elastic band around your pens.

ID cards
Please bring your student ID card to every exam and place it on the top right-hand corner of your exam desk.

Assembly points and entering the building
Arrive ten minutes early to all exams, outside the Year 9 Centre. In the event of real rain (not just wind and storm clouds) you can assemble on the bottom level of the Year 9 Centre in the foyer.
Students are not permitted to talk upon entering the doors of the exam hall. If you need to talk to a supervisor, please kindly raise your hand and wait for assistance.

Clashes in the timetable
Please see Ms Zanella early to arrange an alternative plan to sit your clashing exam. If students have a clash with Math Methods, Music or Languages these subjects will be given priority as they have multiple parts and requirements involved. You will receive a red change of examination slip a few days prior to the examination period to confirm your new scheduled exam time.

Absent due to illness during the exam period
If you are ill on the day of your exams and cannot attend, please provide your Head of Year with a medical certificate. You will also need to email Ms Zanella and your Head of Year to notify them of your absence. Time permitting, your exam may be rescheduled within the examination period.

Examination materials
Please make sure you talk to your subject teachers and you understand exactly what materials you can and cannot take into the exam hall, (for example calculators, bound booklets and so on).

Occasionally, due to the large volume of subjects offered at St Paul’s, students may be timetabled for multiple exams at once. Implicated students, if they have not already, will need to contact me and arrange for an alternative session time to complete one of their exams.

If you have any concerns or queries regarding the exam process, scheduling or would like to discuss specific requirements please do not hesitate to contact me via email: azanella@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Alice Zanella
Director of Studies – Middle School

TEAM TIMOR RECENT FUNDRAISING

The library transformed beautifully into a cozy movie room.

Social Evening
The Warragul Secondary School Library was transformed into a social hangout for our recent Social Evening. Students from Year 7 to Year 11 were well represented and they all enjoyed the chocolate bars and popcorn while playing board games followed by the movie ‘Monster University’. Everyone agreed the night was a huge hit!

By Aaliyah, Lucy and Ruby
Team Timor Members

Mother’s Day Stall

Poppy, Teagan, Makayla and Geenuka ready to serve at the Mother’s Day Stall.

Last week on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 May, Team Timor set up a Mother’s Day stall. After lots of preparation, crafting and hard work the outcome was excellent and we raised over $800 for East Timor, a record-breaking amount for our campus. Students from Year 7 to Year 11 volunteered to sell a wide variety of accessories, plants, cards and many other presents that we hope the Mums and other special people appreciated. We would like to thank all who bought from the stall and the people in our community and school who contributed effort and time to raise money for such a great cause.
By Ella
Team Timor Member

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

PHYSICAL EDUCATION METS PERFORMANCE INCURSION

On Friday 12 May, all Year 12 Physical Education students attended a METS Performance incursion held in the Lecture Theatre.

The incursion was organised to supplement the Unit 3 coursework that students have been studying – Energy Systems, Acute Responses, Fatigue and Recovery. Students participated in gold standard laboratory tests to assess their fitness in various fitness components.

Sam participated in a cycle VO2 max test which lasted for just under thirty minutes. Sam cycled to exhaustion whilst having his O2, CO2, Heart Rate, Ventilation and Lactate levels measured. His VO2 max reading of 64 mL/kg/min is well above average and it was a very impressive effort. Well done Sam!

Sam completing the VO2 max test.

Sterling and Remy participated in a Wingate Test, also on the cycle ergometer, and this involved pedalling at maximum intensity for thirty seconds. This is a test for Anaerobic Capacity, and although only short in duration, it can be quite exhausting given the metabolic by-products that accumulate throughout the thirty seconds.

Remy completing the Wingate test.

Sterling completing the Wingate test.

Congratulations to all of the students for their excellent participation and engagement in this session.

Age Percy
VCE Physical Education teacher

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.

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

It has been another busy fortnight in the Warragul Junior School. Our Academy of Music students attended a workshop with John Noble, our Year 3 students visited Scienceworks, we held our Open Day where some of our Year 6 students acted as tour guides, we celebrated Education Support Staff Day, while our Prep to Year 12 students from all campuses attended our Anniversary Service on Wednesday.

Welcome
On Monday we will welcome our new Office Coordinator, Samantha van Stokrom. Sam is very much looking forward to joining our Administration team and working closely with Andy and Luisa, and I encourage you to introduce yourself to Sam next time you are in the office.

House Cross Country
Well done to all of our Years 3 to 6 students who competed at our annual House Cross Country last week. Whilst cross country running is not for everyone, it was wonderful to see you all give it your best shot. The first four girls and boys from each age group will move through to Division, which will be held next Tuesday. Thanks to Mr Boraston and all the staff who assisted on the day.

Mother’s Day Stall and Thanks Mrs Leighton
A huge thanks to the parents who were able to assist with our Mother’s Day Stall last Friday. Gifts were purchased quicker than during the Boxing Day Sales at Chadstone. I thank Bec McNaught for stepping in for Mrs Leighton who was unfortunately unwell last week. All money raised will go directly back into the Junior School and I will keep you updated on what the money will be put towards. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Mrs Leighton who stepped down from overseeing FOSP after the Mother’s Day Stall. Mrs Leighton has been instrumental in keeping FOSP moving and her passion and interest in supporting students, families and staff during this time, particularly in welcoming new families to St Paul’s, it has been greatly appreciated. We are looking for someone to take over from Lou and if you would be interested or would like more information, please let me know. It is vital that we have someone step into this role so we are able to continue to provide these opportunities and support for our Junior School community.

Clubs
We have a large range of clubs up and running this term and I encourage you to check with your child/ren to see if they are accessing any of them. A list of clubs and when they are on are listed on the What’s On and put up around the Junior School, announcements are also made over the PA to remind students.

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

School Photos – Friday 26 May
School photos will be taken next 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.

Years 2 to 6 Performance Assembly
On Thursday 15 June our Years 2 to 6 students will attend a special Performance Assembly at 2:20 pm in the Junior School gymnasium. Our Drama, Dance and Music clubs will perform along with our Symphonic Band, Choir, Year 2 Strings and Year 5 Symphonic Band.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
22 May  National eSmart Week
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
29 May  Years 5 and 6 Winter Round Robin

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
15 June  Years 2 to 6 Performance Assembly, 2:20 pm
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.

NATIONAL eSMART WEEK IS NEARLY HERE!

National eSmart Week runs from 22 to 28 May and across all sub-schools, St Paul’s will be celebrating this wonderful initiative by the Alana and Madeline Foundation.

This year’s theme is ‘Be your best self online’.

Throughout the week, our students will be prompted to think about what role they may play in the lives of others online and how to maintain a positive digital representation of themselves.

Most importantly, conversations in their classrooms with mentors will consider how they can be great role models, how to recognise when someone else is being mistreated online and how they could respond if something like this were to arise in their lives.

We look forward to continuing a dialogue at school about how our students can continue to be safe and responsible online.

Thomas Hardy
eLearning Coordinator

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

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

Encouraging your child’s unique and individual potential
Our children experience rapid periods of growth and development throughout adolescence, physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally. I have been immersing myself in a text by prominent child psychologist Andrew Fuller titled U’nlocking Your Child’s Genius’ in which he acknowledges “… children are forty per cent brighter than the average person was in 1950.” In an information age, where students have access to immense quantities of technological resources, the nurturing of each child’s potential continues to be the most important job we all undertake as a collective team of educators, parents and guardians.

At the commencement of the text, Fuller includes a message for every child that resonated loudly as both a parent of young adults and an educator. I have included a small excerpt below as these are supportive and encouraging messages that we can share regularly and often with our children to assist them to believe in themselves and encourage their unique and individual potential.

“You are a living legend. You have a brain that is capable of sheer genius. Think of the smartest person you know and know that you have that potential, too. You are just as capable, just as creative and just as clever.”

Fuller shares that students can’t rely on the brain alone and there is a necessity to ‘keep trying’, that children ” … do not have to be good at everything they do” and that ” … making mistakes can make them even smarter.” That there might be times when they feel like ‘giving up’, that they will encounter tasks that are ‘too hard’ and that if “it is important to them they must keep going”, take ‘risks’ and embrace the process of learning as ‘fun’. He concludes his letter by reminding students to be ‘interested’ and curious while frequently ‘testing themselves’ for knowledge acquired.

However, his final message is perhaps the most powerful of all as he reminds us as parents and guardians to tell our children that we love them “whether they win or lose” and that we want them “to have an amazing life” because they “are capable of it” and because most of all we because ‘love’ them and “believe in them.”

As we work towards a peak period of assessment, as well as the looming mid-year examinations for our Years 9 and 10 students, it is always lovely to take a bit of extra time to support your child’s wellbeing with some one-on-one conversation followed by the all-important reminder, “I love you”.

Reference: Fuller, A. (n.d.). Unlocking your child’s genius.

Open Day – Thank you
A very BIG and heartfelt thank you to all students, staff and Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) volunteers who assisted with our Open Day last Saturday. The entire campus was sparkling in the May sunshine as many families took advantage of the divine weather and toured our facilities, spoke with teachers and chatted with our brilliant students. Our students were once again exemplary in their presentation and certainly spoke with great pride about their teachers, subjects, co-curricular and learning opportunities at St Paul’s. All of the staff provided outstanding displays of student work as well as some very engaging activities. Nathan Byrne conducted a number of rehearsals in the Year 7 Common Space and it was truly heart-warming to see him teaching and supporting his students in an ‘Open Classroom’ environment.

Open Day Soul Band live rehearsal.

Year 8 students proudly demonstrating their Food Technology skills at Open Day 2023.

Whole School Anniversary Service 2023
On Wednesday all staff and students at St Paul’s gathered at the Warragul Campus for the annual Whole School Anniversary Service. Our Traralgon Secondary School Captains, Axel Sellings and Georgia Vardy contributed to the service by reading one of the prayers for the school. Throughout the service and during the keynote address we were reminded by Mr Rich Langham from Anglicare of the importance of including everyone, to be an ‘inclusivity superhero’ within our communities, that is, to be the person that welcomes others with a big smile, that invites others to join in games, activities and friendship groups. He also shared with us that his work and passion within the community is to support all people to “… discover how amazing they truly are … “. Throughout the service, Reverend Lynton Allan painted an inclusive banner on a large screen and as the service progressed the composition came together as a resolved work of symbolic significance. The St Paul’s Pipe Band lifted spirits with ‘Amazing Grace’ while many of the younger children greatly enjoyed the Warragul Soul Band’s performance of  ‘I feel good’ so much so, that they were dancing in their seats! Many thanks to Reverend Lowe and the entire Warragul team for the smooth coordination of our 41st anniversary celebrations at St Paul’s.

Year 9 and Year 10 Examinations
We do not have long until our Years 9 and 10 students will sit their end of semester examinations. It is important that students take little steps each day towards revising content. Staff have been working very hard with students to assist the students to prepare. We know that practice tests and spaced practice testing are the best methods for remembering content and assisting the information to be retained in the long-term memory. Examinations are scheduled for Week 7 commencing Monday 5 June until Thursday 8 June inclusive. A catch-up examination day is planned for Friday 9 June and any students who have been unable to complete an examination earlier in the week will have the opportunity to sit their examination/s on the student free day Friday 9 June. Please encourage your child to ask their teachers plenty of questions in the coming weeks, as they prepare to confidently approach the examination period.

Year 7 Homework
After a lovely term of no homework in order to support a gentle transition to secondary school, all Year 7 students are now required to complete thirty minutes of homework after school. Students with the support of their teachers are using their diaries to record their homework each day. Year 7 students are advised to set up a study space that is reserved for homework. Homework in Year 7 may include completing assessment tasks, finishing some questions, revising for tests or completing their wider reading. All students from Year 7 up are warmly invited to attend Homework Club each Thursday after school from 3:20 pm to 4:20 pm in Room 2 to help establish this routine.

Allergy Aware Foods and Energy Drinks
We have a number of students with anaphylaxis within our Traralgon community. This is a life-threatening condition for many children in Australian schools. Parents and guardians are reminded that, where possible, students should bring nut free products to school each day. We do ask when students attend excursions and camps that they do not bring any nut products or any foods that contain known allergens.

We also ask parents to speak with their children about the dangers of products with known allergens, so they are aware to dispose of wrappers and wash their hands thoroughly after consumption.

We also request that Energy Drinks are not provided by families to our children at school. There is a school-wide ban on these beverages as they contain caffeine and other ingredients that may be harmful to our children’s health in both the short and long term. The Australian Beverages Council states that ” … although energy drinks contain only as much caffeine as instant coffee they are not recommended for children”. Other widely published research suggests that these types of beverages may cause high blood pressure, irritability and anxiety in children when consumed. Your kind and ongoing support with this would be greatly appreciated by our staff.

Comparative Reports
At the end of each semester, parents may request that the school provide them with written information that clearly shows their child’s achievement compared to his or her peer group at the school. The information will show parents the number of children in the group in each of the achievement levels/subjects. However, where group numbers are less than twelve this data will not be provided, in order to protect the privacy of the students in the class. Class teachers will instead explain the student’s level relative to their peers, without identifying the number in each band.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
19 May  Kammer Konzert, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, Warragul Campus
22 May  DAV Debating, Round 3
Studio Concert
24 May  National Simultaneous Storytime
25 May  SEISA Music Day 1
26 May  SEISA Music Day 2

JUNE
1 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 3
5 June  DAV Debating
8 June  SEISA Winter Junior Sport, Round 4 (Bye)
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.

NATIONAL eSMART WEEK IS NEARLY HERE!

National eSmart Week runs from 22 to 28 May and across all sub-schools, St Paul’s will be celebrating this wonderful initiative by the Alana and Madeline Foundation.

This year’s theme is ‘Be your best self online’.

Throughout the week, our students will be prompted to think about what role they may play in the lives of others online and how to maintain a positive digital representation of themselves.

Most importantly, conversations in their classrooms with mentors will consider how they can be great role models, how to recognise when someone else is being mistreated online and how they could respond if something like this were to arise in their lives.

We look forward to continuing a dialogue at school about how our students can continue to be safe and responsible online.

Thomas Hardy
eLearning Coordinator

FOSP NEWS

It has been a busy time for all of our FOSP volunteers with the Mother’s Day Raffle, the Mother’s Day Stall and the St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Open Day last Saturday. The raffle on the Thursday evening prior, was a huge success, raising over $700! A big thank you to everybody who supported us, as well as to all of the local businesses who donated the beautiful prizes. They are listed below and we know that they would appreciate your ongoing support by shopping locally.

We hope that all of the St Paul’s mothers as well as all of the wonderful people in our community caring for children and families, celebrated a lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday and enjoyed the carefully selected gifts from the FOSP Mother’s Day Stall. It is a lovely event to be able to bring to the school and the gift selection is always taken very seriously by the children!

Thank you to the following businesses for their generous support of the 2023 Mother’s Day stall:
• Stockdale & Leggo
• The Source
• Kitchen Cupboard
• Changing Seasons
• AM/PM Streetfood
• Body Shop by Monique Cawcutt
• Nature’s Health
• Alison’s Beauty Room
• Seymour Law
• Flowers by Rhi

A very big thank you to all of the parent helpers who shopped, wrapped, gathered prizes and volunteered their time at the various events. If you would like to join FOSP or volunteer at our next event, or even sign up to receive the FOSP minutes, please get in touch with us tanyarong22@gmail.com and janey_andrew1980@hotmail.com  FOSP is a great way to meet new parents, form new friendships and have fun!

FOSP Friends of St Paul’s Social Event – Save the Date
The next FOSP event is one for all St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School parents and guardians and will be held at the Traralgon Tennis Club. We are hosting a Trivia Night on Friday 28 July in the evening. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details. It will be a wonderful social occasion for our community and an event that is not to be missed!

Tanya and Janelle
FOSP – Traralgon Campus

TEAM TIMOR NEWS

Fun times at Timor Social Night

Gavina and Izzy play Twister.

Year 7 girls relax and enjoy the movie.

On Friday 5 May, teachers and students gathered to support East Timor. We watched ‘Jumanji’ and ate some delicious treats. For dinner we had sausage rolls, party pies and mini hotdogs. During the movie we ate ice cream from an ice cream and lolly bar and munched on hot popcorn. We raised $290 for East Timor. Thank you to the members of Team Timor for organising this night, we could not have had an amazing night without you and to everyone who came to the movie night. Watch out for the next Team Timor events coming up.
Izzy Heath
Team Timor Member

Mother’s Day Stall
On 10, 11 and 12 May, Traralgon Team Timor held their annual Mother’s Day Stall during recess and lunchtimes. Handmade cards, jewellery, vouchers and plants were just some of the many beautiful things sold. Overall, more than $470 was made over the course of three days and we are so grateful to everyone who made purchases or helped run the stall. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Stay tuned for our next big event, Boho Friday on the last day of Term 2.

Rheid Haley
Team Timor Captain – Traralgon Secondary School

DEBATING SUCCESS CONTINUES

On Monday 8 May our Year 9 debaters participated in Round 2 of the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) online competition with both teams successfully arguing for a ban on uranium mining in Australia.

Team 1, consisting of Pragnya Pasupuleti, Vidhau Rajadurai, and Sahanna Harikrishna, defeated Casey Grammar School in a close victory. Through the skilful application of logic and evidence, this team triumphed by the narrowest of margins against impressive competition.

Vidhau, Pragnya and Sahanna are a force to be reckoned with in Debating.

Team 2, consisting of Alice den Houting, Mitchell Rong, and Debating Captain, Will Szkwarek, defeated Good Shepherd College Hamilton with Will being named Best Speaker in the debate. In this confident performance, the team excelled in all areas of their matter, manner and method.

Victorious debaters Mitchell, Will and Alice were delighted with the outcome.

St Paul’s debaters with the unofficial debating mascot, PJ the Toller.

With a one hundred per cent strike rate in this year’s competition, our DAV Debaters have set the bar very high and are working hard to maintain their momentum. Congratulations to everyone who participated in Round 2!

Donna Byrne
Director of Learning and Teaching – Traralgon Secondary

SPORT NEWS

SEISA Athletics
On Thursday 4 May, we had thirteen students who were selected to represent St Paul’s at the SEISA Athletics at Casey Fields. Earlier in the week it looked like we were going to either postpone or cancel the event due to the weather. Fortunately, it went ahead and what a day it turned out to be! The competition was on right from the start, with Newhaven College, Beaconhills Pakenham and St Paul’s being only separated by the smallest of margins throughout the day. It all came down to the relays as they were worth double points. We had our fair share of wins but in the end, it was Newhaven College who ended up victors by twenty-eight points. Their score was 1207.5 and St Paul’s 1180.

Gracie Hasthorpe competing in High Jump.

Mia Griffiths in the Triple Jump.

SEISA Winter Junior Sports Round 1 vs Beaconhills Berwick
St Paul’s Junior Winter teams played their first round against Beaconhills Berwick last Thursday. We were very lucky with the weather and all teams were very competitive. We came away with two wins, girls soccer and boys football.

Victorian School Associations Competition
We had four students; Brody Cargill, Noah Warner, Phoebe Balcombe and Hallie Hughes who were selected to represent SEISA at the Victorian School Associations Competition at the Melbourne Sport and Aquatic Centre on Monday 8 May. The competition comprised of other Associations in Melbourne and Regional areas. All students swam well. Overall the SEISA team came seventh out of thirteen other associations which is an extremely great achievement.

Phoebe and Hallie at the Victorian Schools Association Competition.

Brody and Noah with friends wearing their new SEISA Swimming tops.

Traralgon parkrun
I had the pleasure of having some of the Year 9 boys volunteer at a recent Traralgon parkrun where I was the Run Director. It is great to see our students giving back to the community. They each had a particular job on the day. Liam Smith was the photographer, both Max May and Adam Guo gave out finishing tokens, Arie Coffey did barcode scanning and Will Szkwarek was one of the timekeepers. The Traralgon parkrun is a friendly family community and we have quite a few of our students who either run, walk or volunteer every Saturday.

Some Year 9 students helping Mrs Timmer-Arends at the Traralgon parkrun.

PPEP Talk
Last week our Year 9 students engaged in the Period, Pain and Endometriosis Program (PPEP) which is an initiative of the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia, jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments.

PPEP Talk is a positive, interactive, enjoyable program that de-mystifies periods and educates on the latest modern knowledge and the new neuroscience of pain. The program supports those who experience pelvic pain to understand their pain better and find tools to manage it. It helps those who support people with pain understand what they go through and how to assist them.

Our presenter, Marianne Maslamoney spoke with the student about the different types of pain and how to manage them and that included doing different types of stretches to help relieve the pain. The session was engaging, and the students came away with some valuable information.

Year 9 students with Marianne who talked to them about PPEP.

Elephant Ed – Inclusivity
In pastoral last week, our Year 10 students had the privilege to listen to presenters, Josh and Nat from Elephant Ed who came and spoke about Inclusivity and Gender Identity. It was a safe place for the students to engage in conversation. At the end of the session, there was a Q and A where the students had the opportunity to anonymously write questions that came from the discussions that took place. The students wrote some really great questions which were well answered by our presenters. Elephant Ed has been a great resource for our pastoral sessions, with students really appreciating the information they are receiving about the different topics they are providing.

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

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-curricular

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 Junior School,
Ms Tracey King.

Mother’s Day
Last week we thoroughly enjoyed our Mother’s Evening event with many of our families and students. All rooms were busy with activities and excitement. The FOSP raffle at the end of the evening was a highlight with some beautiful gifts presented to the winners. A very sincere thank you to our FOSP team who worked hard behind the scenes to organise these special gifts. This evening has quickly become a popular annual event.

Many thanks also to our FOSP team for the wonderful Mother’s Day stall held on Friday. Students eagerly and very carefully selected gifts for their mum or special person. We hope everyone celebrated and acknowledged their Mums and special friends.

Anniversary Service
With a great deal of excitement, we boarded buses on Wednesday and headed to Warragul for our Whole School Anniversary Service. For our Prep students, it was their first school bus trip and it was delightful to see their anticipation and joy. We celebrated the history of our school with Mr Herbert sharing some photographs of the first locations of Warragul and Traralgon Campuses and also looked to the future as he shared photographs of the soon-to-be Drouin Campus. On the return trip to school, we stopped at Apex Park in Moe and took over the playground. Students had a fabulous time.

Open Day
We held our annual Open Day on the weekend and were incredibly busy meeting new families and showing them our wonderful school. Many students attended on the day and assisted with tours and classroom activities and I thank them for their commitment and willingness to take on responsibilities and leadership on the day.

Division Cross Country
Students competed in Division Cross Country on Wednesday, ran their hearts out and did their very best. Well done to Mason Chan, Ruby Demetrios, Lilijah Deveson, Georgia Hasthorpe, Jake Kaminski and William Lambert for representing our school. We are proud of each of them and their efforts.

Education Support Personnel Day
This week we acknowledged our fabulous Education Support Staff. Every day, Education Support Staff work to keep our school running, support our students to learn and our teachers to teach. The day is an opportunity to show recognition and appreciation for the incredible contribution that education support personnel make to quality education. We thank Karen Ashworth, Rebecca Coulston, Lucas Tripodi, Sienna Reid, San Vanninetti, Kayla Ludbey, Gareth Waack-Hawkins, Stephanie Vozzo, Jeanette Marshall, Wyatt Begg-Wright, Laurie Everaert, Rachael Langley and Bonnie Lai.

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
Held every year on 21 May, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development celebrates not only the richness of the world’s cultures but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue in achieving peace and sustainable development. The United Nations General Assembly first declared this World Day in 2002, following UNESCO’s adoption of the 2001 Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, recognising the need to “enhance the potential of culture as a means of achieving prosperity, sustainable development and global peaceful coexistence”.

On this day, UNESCO would like to call upon everyone to celebrate cultural diversity, through which we will be able to build the intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind.

“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.).

Wellbeing Notes: Supporting Sleep 
We know sleep is essential for good health and essential for learning, however research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. The amount of sleep your child needs also changes as they age. Children aged six to thirteen years should ideally be sleeping for nine to eleven hours. Teenagers aged fourteen to seventeen years should ideally be sleeping for eight to ten hours, although anywhere from seven to eleven hours may be appropriate for some teenagers. Not getting enough sleep can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.

Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:
• low mood and irritability during social interactions
• reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed
• falling asleep during the day
• difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up
• changes to communicating or interacting at home.

You can help your child to improve their sleep by:
• establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine
• supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed
• encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep
• encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.

If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or wakening unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length of sleep, they should see a doctor.

For more information on sleep health, see below:
Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff, from the Sleep Health Foundation
Why sleep is so important, from the Kids Helpline
Sleep explained, from the Better Health Channel

Carpark safety
It is time for another reminder about carpark safety. I urge all families to please remember to slow down and follow the speed limit of ten kilometres per hour. Please be mindful of our little people and keep their safety a priority. Drop off and pick times can be extremely busy and it is very concerning when cars speed through our carpark. Please take care at all times. In Victoria, it is against the law to leave a child unattended in a car. Never leave your most precious valuables, your children, alone in the car. Leaving children unattended in a car – even for a short period of time – can be fatal. Please do not leave your young children in cars unattended, even when your car is parked in our school carpark.

Parent Information session: ‘Learning to Read’
Parents are invited to attend an evening information session on Tuesday 23 May, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. This session will be held in the Library. A practical workshop for parents to develop knowledge and skills to assist your child while they are learning to read.
Learn about:
• sounds of the English language
• segmenting and blending
• decodable readers
• strategies to help your child decode words
• strategies to build reading fluency and comprehension

Please RSVP to tgonadmin@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au before Monday 22 May.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
19 May  Kammer Konzert, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, Warragul Campus, 7:00 pm
22 May  Studio Concert, 7:00 pm
23 May  Learning to Read: Parent Information Session, 7:00 pm
District Winter Sport, Years 5 and 6
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, 2:30 pm
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.

NATIONAL eSMART WEEK IS NEARLY HERE!

National eSmart Week runs from 22 to 28 May and across all sub-schools, St Paul’s will be celebrating this wonderful initiative by the Alana and Madeline Foundation.

This year’s theme is ‘Be your best self online’.

Throughout the week, our students will be prompted to think about what role they may play in the lives of others online and how to maintain a positive digital representation of themselves.

Most importantly, conversations in their classrooms with mentors will consider how they can be great role models, how to recognise when someone else is being mistreated online and how they could respond if something like this were to arise in their lives.

We look forward to continuing a dialogue at school about how our students can continue to be safe and responsible online.

Thomas Hardy
eLearning Coordinator

FOSP NEWS

It has been a busy time for all of our FOSP volunteers with the Mother’s Day Raffle, the Mother’s Day Stall and the St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Open Day last Saturday. The raffle on the Thursday evening prior, was a huge success, raising over $700! A big thank you to everybody who supported us, as well as to all of the local businesses who donated the beautiful prizes. They are listed below and we know that they would appreciate your ongoing support by shopping locally.

We hope that all of the St Paul’s mothers as well as all of the wonderful people in our community caring for children and families, celebrated a lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday and enjoyed the carefully selected gifts from the FOSP Mother’s Day Stall. It is a lovely event to be able to bring to the school and the gift selection is always taken very seriously by the children!

Thank you to the following businesses for their generous support of the 2023 Mother’s Day stall:
• Stockdale & Leggo
• The Source
• Kitchen Cupboard
• Changing Seasons
• AM/PM Streetfood
• Body Shop by Monique Cawcutt
• Nature’s Health
• Alison’s Beauty Room
• Seymour Law
• Flowers by Rhi

A very big thank you to all of the parent helpers who shopped, wrapped, gathered prizes and volunteered their time at the various events. If you would like to join FOSP or volunteer at our next event, or even sign up to receive the FOSP minutes, please get in touch with us tanyarong22@gmail.com and janey_andrew1980@hotmail.com  FOSP is a great way to meet new parents, form new friendships and have fun!

FOSP Friends of St Paul’s Social Event – Save the Date
The next FOSP event is one for all St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School parents and guardians and will be held at the Traralgon Tennis Club. We are hosting a Trivia Night on Friday 28 July in the evening. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details. It will be a wonderful social occasion for our community and an event that is not to be missed!

Tanya and Janelle
FOSP – Traralgon Campus

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
This fortnight in Prep, we have been learning about our red ‘Play Is The Way’ life raft, “pursue your personal best no matter who you work with”. This has led to many rich discussions both within the classroom and about experiences outside the classroom.

In literacy, we have explored nouns, verbs and punctuation, and the role they play in constructing a simple sentence. We have also begun to look at how the letter ‘e’ at the end of a word can change the vowel sound from a short to a long sound, for example in the word bike or cake.
In Maths, we have continued consolidating our understanding of the concept of addition and subtraction using concrete materials.

Students were excited to travel to our Warragul Campus for the first time and attend our Anniversary Assembly. They were amazed at how big our school looks when all the students are in the one place.

Year 1
The Year 1 students have been busy travelling the world. All students made passports and have so far travelled to Antarctica, the United States and Canada. Along the way we have learnt geographical words such as peninsula, harbour and plateau.
In Writing, we have been learning the difference between statements and questions, using clues such as punctuation and question words such as when, where, can and do.

In Maths we have spent time learning about turnaround facts and fact families as these will help us become better mathematicians.

Year 2
During the last couple of weeks, the Year 2 students have been working hard on strategies for addition and subtraction as they move forwards, to be able to mentally calculate the answers for simple number combinations. They have also consolidated their understanding of half, quarter and full turns using the language of left, right, clockwise and anti-clockwise.
In writing, we have been using familiar single paragraph outlines to plan paragraph writing for an information and text about animals. The year twos are constructing questions and varied sentences to use in their paragraphs, to keep it interesting for the reader. We have also been exploring vocabulary words for speech like “drivel” and “shriek”. Building our reading fluency has centred on rhymes and silly songs.

Our ‘Play Is The Way’ focus has been supported by Mr Battista as we consider how we share our strengths with others to help them grow and to problem-solve.

Year 3
Our Year 3 SRC representatives have been selected by their peers. We would like to extend our congratulations to Annika Shankar, Ava Lambert, Keira Tomholt and Isabella Jegorow. They will demonstrate leadership, organisation, responsibility and commitment through fulfilling this role.
Last week, 3JW visited their Kinder Buddies in the ELC. It was fabulous to see some of the Year 3 students going back to where it all began for them and immerse themselves in the nature play, open-ended environment of the ELC.

Year 4
Yet another busy two weeks in Year 4! Our Daily Reviews and our Explicit Instruction lessons are keeping us focused and helping us to learn new concepts and also revise and recall previously learnt material.
We have also been spending some quality time with our Prep buddies. During this time we have worked on a range of STEM challenges. These activities have allowed us to build our leadership skills, as we guide our little learners to explore, challenge themselves and be resilient when faced with difficult situations.

Year 5
Year 5 students enjoyed the pampering session during the Mother’s Day and Special Person evening. Thank you to everyone who entered our classrooms to be involved in our Day Spa session. It was lovely to observe some of our Year 5 parents experiencing the exfoliating, oil hand massage and moisturising treatment.
Year 6
Throughout the past fortnight year 6 students have researched a certain country and their government some countries include, Japan, Afghanistan, Russia, Cuba and many more.

This term we have also started a new Core Knowledge unit about Ancient Greece and Rome. So far we have learned about Athenian democracy and Ancient Greek city states.

Here are some photos from the Mother’s Day event when we had some fun and enjoyed some special time with our Mothers.
By Arlo

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

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-curricular

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.

DON’T SPEAK

Have you ever had one of those moments in a conversation when you wanted to say something but then decided not to? Perhaps you were not quick enough to formulate a reply? Perhaps you just were not sure what to say? Or maybe you were worried about what reaction your comment might get. Not all of us are as quick on our feet as we might like when it comes to debating ideas and there is something to be said for the delayed and considered response. And speaking in ignorance rarely adds much to a discussion. But it seems that more and more often what stops us from sharing our thoughts is the fear of being declared out of step or worse, ‘problematic’ by those we are in conversation with. And there is no doubt that expressing a religious view on a topic is more likely to elicit a rapid condemnation. We have seen this play out publicly with high profile figures such as Andrew Thorburn and Margaret Court and these public stoushes set the tone for all of us. As author, Mark Sayers, puts it “You can reach levels of blistering hipness, gain position within a key industry, hold an encyclopedic knowledge of popular culture, throw yourself into the great justice causes of the day and still your belief in the second culture values of faith will see you viewed as beyond the pale.” (Disappearing Church: From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience). That is not to suggest that a religious view should have some sort of privileged position. We live in a complex and diverse society where many different worldviews are represented and we need to learn to navigate that space together. And a critical part of that work will be equipping our young people with the skills to discuss controversial issues and engage in meaningful and respectful conversations about issues that matter. So why does our cultural milieu seem to run so counter to this goal?

Social psychologist and author, Jonathan Haidt, suggests that in perpetuating what he calls three great untruths which are hindering healthy discourse and understanding, we are doing ourselves a great harm. The three untruths can be summarised by three statements:

1) “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker”.
2) “Always trust your feelings”.
3) “Life is a battle between good people and evil people”.

Over the course of the next few Grammarian articles, I want to explore how each of these untruths can be seen being played out and what an alternative picture might look like.

The first untruth, the “Untruth of Fragility” centres around the idea that people are inherently fragile and need protection from discomforting ideas. I have written in previous Grammarians about the concept of children being ‘anti-fragile’. Just like bones and muscles need to be used and pushed to stay strong, and the immune system must be exposed to pathogens to remain in tip-top shape, kids’ psyches need to be challenged to keep them balanced and healthy. Our well-intentioned desire to shield young people from the possible ‘trauma’ of confronting and challenging topics actually risks causing them more harm. In Haidt’s words, “By over-protecting our children we are setting them up to be weak, to be more easily damaged, to be more easily discouraged”. The first step in equipping a young person to engage in healthy, robust and respectful conversation is to expose them to ideas that may challenge them, opinions that they might disagree with and to help them see that wrestling with these ideas will strengthen them, not harm them. Of course, some protective boundaries are needed. Consideration still needs to be given to things like age and developmental appropriateness. Just as we don’t let teenagers get behind the wheel of a car unsupervised, in the same way young people need adults to help them navigate controversial topics. That is one of the reasons I love teaching Ethics. Like learning to drive, subjects like Ethics, Philosophy, History and English guide students through the process of engaging with conflicting ideas in a safe, supportive and supervised context. It might be challenging and even uncomfortable for students at times but it is far more likely to strengthen than harm them. Imagine if P.E. teachers stopped running sports classes because we did not want students to experience physical discomfort? When we go too far in sheltering our young people from ideas that we disagree with or worldviews that make us uncomfortable, we inadvertently tell them that they are too fragile to cope with them and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In 1995 Gwen Stefani, lead singer of the band No Doubt, sang, “Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’, So please stop explainin’, Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts.” She may have been talking about a failed relationship but those words capture the mindset that comes from believing the untruth of fragility. ‘Your ideas make me uncomfortable, and I am too fragile to cope with them so you mustn’t speak them’. Is this really how we want our young people to respond to each other?

The idea of anti-fragility is not a new one. Consider what the Apostle Paul says about suffering: “…because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5). The discomfort of encountering conflicting ideas builds strength. But simply being willing to encounter new and potentially challenging ideas is only the first step in equipping young people to engage in respectful conversation. In the next edition of the Grammarian, I will look at the implications of Haidt’s second great untruth – that we should always trust our feelings.

In the meantime, Paul’s advice is this, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6).

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

MARIANNE ETTERY,
Class of 1993.

Marianne joined St Paul’s in Year 7. Her favourite memory was when she was running an obstacle course as a Prefect in Year 12. She also enjoyed performing with the choir and was a member of ISCF, Amnesty International, the Year 10 Gardening Group and the Music Appreciation Club. Mr Wilson was one of her most memorable teachers. “Mr Wilson encouraged me and believed in me,” Marianne explained. “I came from a small school (I was half of my Grade 6 class) and felt overwhelmed by the size of the school, as my Year 7 class was larger than what my entire school had been the previous year.”

Marianne began her career as a disability support worker before pursuing a Certificate IV in Library and Information Services at Chisholm. She also has experience working in call centres, supervising university exams and as a library technician at Federation University and St Paul’s. She is currently employed as a casual Library Technician across multiple campuses at Haileybury and Emmaus College.

Marianne’s connection to libraries stems from her love of reading. “I have always loved books,” she expressed. “I would volunteer at my sister’s primary school and quite often would help in the library. After working in call centres, I worked voluntarily at a Prep-9 school in their library and loved it, so I decided to retrain.” Her mother was a great influence on Marianne’s love of reading. “Mum helped foster my love of books, so I always had that in the background of my life.” A co-worker also inspired her to pursue her library path. “Michelle who is the Resource Centre Manager of Doveton College where I did my volunteer work, helped me decide to retrain, mainly by demonstrating her love of what she does.”

Helping students and staff to enjoy books and creating a welcoming environment for students, staff, and parents are Marianne’s favourite aspects of her profession. She does find it difficult to explain to people why libraries must dispose of books and would love it if libraries could have more room and funding for more books. “We ‘weed’ books that are damaged and cannot be repaired, and books that are not being borrowed. I explain to people that it means that we can buy new books that people want to read. Depending on the books, we do donate books that we have weeded so that they can continue to be enjoyed.”

Marianne enjoys watching TV quiz shows, attending trivia nights and listening to country music outside of work.

Marianne can’t believe it is her thirty-year reunion this year and has offered to help the alumni committee”rally the troops!”.
If you would like to join us in creating an event of nostalgia, connection and laughter for our Class of 1993, 2003 and 2013 cohorts, email alumni@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au to be a part of our next celebration!

We love sharing alumni stories which provide inspiration to current students – and teachers always love to hear what former students are up to now!
If you would like to share your story with the St Paul’s community, or would like to mentor or speak with our current students, please reach out by emailing alumni@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or connecting with us on our St Paul’s Alumni Association Facebook page and our St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School official LinkedIn page.

(Profile information correct at time of collection.)