In this issue

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

Semester 2 began in earnest on Tuesday as students began new electives or in the case of our VCE students, transitioned from one unit to the next. The examination period for Year 9 through to Year 11 ran smoothly last week and we congratulate our students for their application, endeavour and exemplary behaviour throughout the examination period. The King’s Birthday Public Holiday was well-timed and we hope our students and families enjoyed a long weekend before returning for the final two weeks of term. We must extend a thank you to all of the staff and external invigilators for their organisation, coordination and thorough supervision of our students.

This is the last Grammarian before the three-week mid-year break and we would like to wish all of our students and families an enjoyable and safe break.

Key dates for your calendar
Please add the following key dates to your calendar in preparation for the weeks to come:
Year 9 City Camp – Wednesday 21 June to Friday 23 June 2023
The final day of Term 2 – Friday 23 June (2:10 pm finish time)
Term 3 student commencement – Tuesday 18 July 2023
Year 10 Careers Conference – Wednesday 19 July to Friday 21 July

Senior Formal Reminder Friday 21 July 2023
The Senior Formal is an annual event for all Year 11 and 12 students. This year the Senior Formal will be held on Friday 21 July at the Moe Racecourse Function Room. A bus will be departing from both the Warragul and the Traralgon Campuses to transport students who require it. This is a fully supervised event.

All Year 11 and Year 12 families have been sent an email with the details, including the Consent2Go Invitation as well as the TryBooking link.

Please note that the final date for Consent2Go, TryBooking ticket purchases and travel arrangement submissions is Tuesday 20 June 2023. This allows for confirmation of numbers and finalisation of bookings before students leave for the three-week break. Should you have any remaining queries please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Bethany Thearle at bmthearle@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Ms Caitlin Powell at cpowell@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

Senior Information Night
Our current Years 9, 10 and 11 students, along with their families, are invited to the Senior Information Evening which will be held on Monday 31 July 2023.

This evening provides important information regarding our 2024 subject offerings, course counselling and subject selection process. Further information will be published in the next edition of the Grammarian and a letter will also be emailed, but this is a very important date for your calendars.

Special Report: Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers have become powerful individuals who often shape the opinions and beliefs of others due to strong connections with their audiences. In today’s fast-paced digital world, attention has become a valuable commodity.

However, the impact of social media influencers on youth mental health is a growing concern, most recently, the controversial actions and statements of Andrew Tate. His rise to fame has made him a polarising figure, amassing a significant following of mostly young males. Educators and families have raised urgent concerns about the damaging nature of Tate’s content, worried that his messages may radicalise students and create a generation of young men with regressive and harmful beliefs.
Young people often compare themselves to the idealised lives presented by influencers, leading to feelings of inadequacy, low self-worth and dissatisfaction. Social media algorithms may also expose them to inappropriate or harmful content such as explicit material, promotion of harmful behaviours, or distorted perceptions of body image or mental health.

It is important to guide a young person’s social media use and promote open communication. Be curious to comprehend why they might be drawn to radical influencers, like Andrew Tate, and actively seek understanding as part of the solution. While not all influencers have a negative impact, parents play a vital role in ensuring a balanced approach to social media. By actively modelling kindness, respect and positive values, parents can help tackle the sway of radical influencers and be part of the solution to countering unhealthy masculinity.

This special report provides guidance on how to respond to misinformation and disinformation, instead encouraging critical thinking and emphasising the value of real-life connections. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help.

Click on this link to view the special report https://stpaulsags.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-influencers-au.

School Holiday and Support Services
We imagine that all of our students are looking forward to the upcoming three-week break. Whilst the school counselling team does not provide support over the school holidays or long weekends, should you find that your child needs help, your child is always able to speak to someone at Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Headspace (1800 650 890), Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636 ). If you are after advice as a parent, you can also utilise these services or call Parentline on 13 22 89. There are also a number of resources on our MyStPauls Wellbeing page: https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/11780.

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 fewer 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.

Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

JUNE
16 June  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
18 June  AusCycling Schools Mountain Bike Series Round 1, Dromana Secondary College
19 June  Cycling/Mountain Bike Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium, 7:15 am to 8:15 am
Puffs Rehearsal, Warragul Secondary School Dance Studio, 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
20 June  SEISA Winter Sport, Intermediate/Senior Trials, Traralgon Secondary School, 11:00 am to 3:10 pm
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
Puffs Rehearsal, Warragul Secondary School Dance Studio, 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
23 June  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
Casual Clothes Day – $2 gold coin donation to Team Timor!
End of Term 2, 2:10 pm finish

JULY
18 July  Term 3 Commences
Champions Cup, State Basketball Centre, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
19 to 21 July  Year 10 Conference, Phillip Island
20 July  SEISA Winter Sport, Intermediate/Senior, Round 1 (BYE)
21 July  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
Senior Formal, Year 11 and Year 12 students, Moe Racing Club, 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm
25 July  Job Skills Expo, Year 9 students, Lardner Park, 10:40 am to 1:00 pm
Studio Concert, Select Performing Arts students, DT Parker Centre and Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 7:00 pm
27 July  SEISA Winter Sport, Intermediate/Senior, Round 2
28 July  Sport Aerobics Training, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium and Dance Studio, 6:55 am to 8:15 am
Gymnastics Training, Warragul Gymnastics Centre, 7:00 am to 8:00 am
Celebrating Families Day, Year 9 students, Year 9 Centre, 1:30 pm to 3:10 pm
31 July  Senior Information Evening, Year 9 Centre, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

WARRAGUL SECONDARY SCHOOL OFFICE HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday 26 June to Friday 30 June, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 3 July to Friday 7 July, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 10 July to Friday 14 July, 10:00 am to 3:00 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.

YEAR 9 PRODUCT DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY – SOFT MATERIALS

During Semester 1, the Year 9 Textiles class completed stretch sewing using the sewing machine and overlocker.
Through a class discussion of a wardrobe need, each student constructed an over-sized hoodie and judging by the photo, they were very happy with the finished garment!

Allison Cameron
Product Design and Technology
and Visual Arts teacher

CASUAL CLOTHES DAY, FRIDAY 23 JUNE

Team Timor’s final fundraiser for the term is a casual clothes day on Friday 23 June (the last day of term). Students are asked to bring $2 which will be collected at the start of the day during Mentor Group. All fundraising efforts will now focus on the running costs of the Malimea English Language Study Centre (ELSC) in East Timor.
We are pleased to share the latest pictures of the centre which is soon to be furnished. During the upcoming school holidays, the English language program will be delivered to and registered in the centre, with the program ready to begin in August. Our English teacher, Manuel and his two assistants, Adriana and Sebastiana, have been attending regular training with this program for the last twelve months. It is an exciting time for this village and its surrounding community!
Thank you for your support with Team Timor’s fundraising this term.

Andrea Heard
Team Timor

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

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 7 August, 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.

Welcome
This week we welcomed Ms Laura Hughes who has replaced Mrs Denelle Calafiore in Year 2W for the remainder of the year while she takes some family and long service leave following the birth of baby Gianna this week.

Years 2 to 6 Performance Assembly
Congratulations and well done to all of the students who performed at our Years 2 to 6 special Performance Assembly. Our Drama, Dance and Music clubs performed along with our Junior Pipes, Junior Choir, Junior Strings and Junior Symphonic Band. Our thanks to all the Performing Arts staff for their hard work in providing this ‘performance’ opportunity for our students.

Regional Cross Country
Well done to Jun O’Connor, Hadley Purcell, Georgia Joyce, Finlay Heenan, Ollie Elliott, Quin McConville Plant, Sidney Box, Zac Cumming, Nathan Brown and Thomas Sahhar who all competed at Regional Cross Country recently. Congratulations to both Sidney and Hadley who made it through to State.

Winter Round Robin
Congratulations to our Soccer (A Team) and T-Ball team who have made it through to Regional Winter Round Robin next term. The teams competed extremely well to finish on top at the division stage on Wednesday. Well done and thanks to Coaches Rock and Denton for assisting our teams.

Semester 1 COR and Reports
Teachers have been providing continuous feedback via MyStPauls throughout Semester 1 with more to be released prior to the end of this term. Feedback can be accessed by clicking on the Grades tab in MyStPauls. Parents will be notified next week when Semester 1 Academic Reports are ready to be viewed. These will be avaiable to be accessed via the Academic Reports tab on MyStPauls.

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 fewer 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.

Before School Drop-off
A reminder that students should not be left unsupervised by parents on campus before 8:30 am. Before School Care is available to families who require supervision prior to 8:30 am. Staff are on yard duty from 8:30 am and classrooms are open from 8:45 am with classes commencing at 9:00 am sharp. Whilst I understand mornings are a busy time, we have had a lot of students arriving well after 9:00 am lately which means lessons have already commenced by the time they sign in at the office.

Reminder – School Photos 2023
Annual school photos have been taken by Arthur Reed Photos. To view the images of your child and order photos, you will need to first register online (see instructions below).

• Go to https://order.arphotos.com.au  and enter the 2023 image code for your child (from their personalised flyer). Please email Sam via svanstokrom@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au if you have misplaced or require your child’s image code.
• Tap on ‘Add another child’ to enter the image codes of any siblings
• Fill in your email and mobile details and then review all details before confirming your registration
That’s it! When the 2023 photos are ready, you will be notified by email and SMS.
Even if you registered last year, it is important that you do it again each year using your child’s new image code to link their photos for the current year with your contact details. To ensure you are ordering school photos for the current year, please wait for notifications that 2023 images are online before placing orders.
In the webshop, you can view photos and customise your photo package – choose ANY layout, ANY image and purchase multiple digital image downloads.
All photo orders will be sent directly to the address you provide when ordering.

REGISTER ONLINE NOW to be notified when 2023 school photos can be viewed and ordered.

As we move into the final week of Semester 1, I would like to thank all our students and staff for a wonderful first half of the year. As always, there has been a good mix of classroom, pastoral and co-curricular lessons mixed in with many all-school and Year Level special events.

Happy Holidays
I wish all families a restful break in the upcoming holiday period. It is always a good chance to rest up and recharge and for those who might be heading away, I wish you safe travels. A reminder that Term 3 commences on Tuesday 18 July.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

WHAT’S ON

JUNE
16 June  Centrepiece, West Gippsland Arts Centre, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
23 June  Crazy Hair and Bright Colours Day
End of Term 2, 2:20 pm finish

JULY
18 July  Term 3 Commences
19 to 21 July  Year 4 Camp

AUGUST
2 to 4 August  Family Snow Sports Camp
7 August  Parent Prayer Group

WARRAGUL JUNIOR SCHOOL HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS

Monday 26 June: OPEN 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Tuesday 27 June to Monday 10 July: CLOSED
Tuesday 11 July to Friday 14 July: OPEN 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday 17 July: OPEN 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Tuesday 18 July: Term 3 commences

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.

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 7 August, 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

Growth Mindset, Grit, Metacognition and Examination Feedback

In the last two weeks our Year 9 and Year 10 students have sat their mid-year examinations. This is frequently accompanied by overwhelming nerves, enormous relief when the examination period is finally over, as well as much anxiety and trepidation as the final results are returned! And this is just the parents!

As we celebrate their achievements or experience a little disappointment in our child’s performance, it is paramount that we assist our students to embrace the process in its entirety. Our students need to take time to critically reflect and utilise the ‘learning’ gained from the experience to consider their preparation and improve academic confidence and competence for the future.

Metacognitive Reflection
The most powerful learning from an examination or test occurs when a student takes time to ponder their own learning style, including the study habits and techniques that they employed in the lead up to the test. An honest personal and reflective critique of their preparation is an effective way to determine successful methods as well as those which may need further refinement.

The following questions may assist your child in honestly and critically evaluating their approach to examination preparation in recent weeks.

• Did you use mind maps, revision cards and booklets? The linking of information assists students to make connections that are deeper and more complex in nature when preparing for a test or examination.

• Did you complete practice tests and timed responses? Retrieval practice and practice tests are a proven and effective technique to assist students to reduce examination anxiety, apply concepts learnt to other and new contexts, as well as improving students’ complex thinking.

• Did you space your study? When students space their study sessions over extended periods of time, it assists them to embed knowledge in the long-term memory which improves retrieval under test conditions.

• Did you reflect upon your approach to individual questions? Reflecting upon how students approached each question by reading and re-reading it again, by considering the marks attributed to individual questions, as well as the way that they responded to maximise the marks available to them, is a brilliant strategy to maximise results.

Examination feedback assists students to identify any learning gaps that need further attention, revision or mastery. Students can begin to take responsibility by asking their teachers for additional help or requesting additional practice tests.

Understanding that feedback is an opportunity to improve and develop is a wonderful way to apply the concepts of a growth mindset to the learning process. Considering examination results as a starting point, rather than a graded and fixed assessment of ability, can assist students to strive for improvement. We know that students who develop an intrinsic motivation to improve, see the process as a step towards the mastery of academic competence.

In considering feedback students should take time to consider their approach to questions and evaluate alternative answers to questions, particularly where their answers were not quite right or as comprehensive as required. This process encourages a deeper reflection of the response, as well as a more complex understanding of the content, subsequently refining problem-solving skills as well as an ability to apply and adapt this process to future scenarios.

No one gets things right all of the time, and it can be discouraging and disappointing to receive results that fall a little short of personal and family expectations. Encouraging students to understand that mistakes are inevitable in the early stages of examination mastery is key. Students need to understand that accepting the feedback and reflecting upon the process, as well as their personal strategies and approach towards preparation, is a proven method of increasing academic agility and perseverance with grit and determination.

Ultimately, examination feedback should and must be seen as a positive vehicle for improvement in the future. The process of understanding and reflecting upon the preparation process is ultimately the most effective way to improve academic confidence and competence. It is in the embracing of feedback by considering metacognitive strategies employed in the preparation that substantial academic gains can be made for the future.

Congratulations Everyone
Congratulations to our Secondary School students for a fabulous first six months of 2023! Our Year 7 students have completed their first six months at St Paul’s and are developing their identities as well as their confidence as accomplished, responsible and respectful community members. The Year 8 students are growing very quickly in height, as well as academic competence and our Year 9 and Year 10 students have just embarked on a very successful examination period! All students have shown profound respect for their school community including their peers and teachers.

We are particularly proud of the Year 9 students for the way in which they approached their very first examination period. The first of many such periods as we begin the process of preparing the students for their final Year 12 examinations in the future!

We know that the more that we can prepare our students to manage their time, acclimatise to different staff supervision, as well as the environment with other students, the more relaxed and confident they will be when they sit for their Year 12 VCE examinations at the end of their Year 12 studies in the future. Thank you to Mr Chris Ambrozy, Director of Studies and the entire Secondary School team for the many weeks of preparation, administration and logistics in the lead up to this event for our Year 9 and Year 10 students.

Year 10 Conference – Wednesday 19 July to Friday 21 July 2023
To capitalise on the information gained from the My Careers program for our Year 10 students we are taking our Year 10 students to Phillip Island Adventure Resort on Wednesday 19 July to Friday 21 July for an opportunity to undertake some further careers work.

The conference will include a workshop facilitated by ‘Arrive & Thrive’ and a series of workshops on careers, subject selections, resiliency, and personal development. As in past years, staff from the School and some external speakers will assist in delivering these workshops.

The Year 10 Formal Dinner will be held at Phillip Island as part of the conference. The purpose of this event is to help the cohort develop a cohesive identity and to give them experience in a formal social setting. This will be a special opportunity for our cohort of students to socialise and get to know each other before they join for their VCE years.

This will be an exciting program for Year 10 students who no doubt will find the conference to be both informative and memorable as well as an important precursor to the VCE years.

Special Report: Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers have become powerful individuals who often shape the opinions and beliefs of others due to strong connections with their audiences. In today’s fast-paced digital world, attention has become a valuable commodity.

However, the impact of social media influencers on youth mental health is a growing concern, most recently, the controversial actions and statements of Andrew Tate. His rise to fame has made him a polarising figure, amassing a significant following of mostly young males. Educators and families have raised urgent concerns about the damaging nature of Tate’s content, worried that his messages may radicalise students and create a generation of young men with regressive and harmful beliefs.
Young people often compare themselves to the idealised lives presented by influencers, leading to feelings of inadequacy, low self-worth and dissatisfaction. Social media algorithms may also expose them to inappropriate or harmful content such as explicit material, promotion of harmful behaviours, or distorted perceptions of body image or mental health.

It is important to guide a young person’s social media use and promote open communication. Be curious to comprehend why they might be drawn to radical influencers, like Andrew Tate, and actively seek understanding as part of the solution. While not all influencers have a negative impact, parents play a vital role in ensuring a balanced approach to social media. By actively modelling kindness, respect and positive values, parents can help tackle the sway of radical influencers and be part of the solution to countering unhealthy masculinity.

This special report provides guidance on how to respond to misinformation and disinformation, instead encouraging critical thinking and emphasising the value of real-life connections. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help.

Click on this link to view the special report https://stpaulsags.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-influencers-au.

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 fewer 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.

Time to Update Consent2Go
Parents and guardians are warmly invited and reminded to update your child’s details in Consent2Go in preparation for the next six months of the year. This is particularly important if your child has recently experienced a new or additional medical diagnosis, changed medication/s or has revised health management requirements. If you are unsure about how to access your details on Consent2Go or need some extra support with the entering of information, please contact Kerryn Doble KDoble@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone Student Services on (03) 5175 0133 during office hours.

Last Day of Term 2 and First Day of Term 3
Please note that all students in our Secondary School are invited to wear sensible and warm free dress clothing in exchange for a gold coin donation to raise money for East Timor on Friday 23 June. The school day will conclude for our students at 2:10 pm while bus travellers will be departing school a little earlier at 1:50 pm for a 2:00 pm bus departure. Please note that Term 3 will commence for all students on Tuesday 18 July with Mentor Group at 8:55 am.

Lost Uniform Items
We currently have quite a collection of unnamed and lost uniform items. If your child has misplaced an item of clothing, please remind them to check with Kerryn and Kelly at Student Services. There are various unnamed items of uniform within the ‘extensive collection’ and it would be lovely to reunite them with their rightful owners before the mid-year holiday period.

Mobile Device Health Check
The mid-year holiday period is the perfect opportunity for our families to undertake a Mobile Device Health Check on all student devices. It is always of immense value to your child’s wellbeing to check that suitable parental controls are firmly in place and that students are not spending hours at night on their devices without parental/guardian knowledge.

Please refer to our ySafe safety hub for further information, link below for information that may assist you to keep your child safe throughout the June/July holiday period.
https://stpaulsags.onlinesafetyhub.com.au/parent/information-guides/all

Wellbeing Support Services – June/July Holidays
We imagine that all of our students are looking forward to the upcoming three-week break. Whilst the school counselling team does not provide support over the school holidays or long weekends, should you find that your child needs help, your child is always able to speak to someone at Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Headspace (1800 650 890), Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636 ). If you are after advice as a parent, you can also utilise these services or call Parentline on 13 22 89. There are also a number of resources on our MyStPauls Wellbeing page: https://my.stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/homepage/11780. Alternatively, we advise that seeking support from your child’s General Practitioner or the Emergency Department of the hospital is always the most appropriate place for immediate and critical support for families but particularly during the holiday periods.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

JUNE
16 June  Centrepiece, West Gippsland Arts Centre, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
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

JULY
17 July  Student Free Day
18 July  Term 3 Commences
19 to 21 July  Year 10 Conference, Phillip Island

TRARALGON SECONDARY SCHOOL HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS

Monday 26 June to Friday 7 July, CLOSED
Monday 10 July to Friday 14 July, OPEN 10:00 am to 3:00 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.

DAV DEBATERS REMAIN UNDEFEATED AFTER ROUND 4

Our elated Round 4 Debaters.

On Monday 5 June, our Year 9 D-Grade DAV Debating teams headed into a challenging round of debating where they argued the merits and disadvantages of an increased retirement age in Australia. As their team photo suggests, both teams were victorious on the evening, making this the fourth consecutive win over four rounds for both teams!
Congratulations go to every debater as it is truly their camaraderie, professionalism and dedication that has culminated in such outstanding results for both teams this year. Vidhau Rajadurai was named the Best Speaker in her debate, and we are thrilled to congratulate her on this effort. We are now looking forward with great excitement to the final round of this year’s competition before the finals begin.

Donna Byrne and Sharon Pyle
Debating and Public Speaking Coordinators, Traralgon Secondary School 2023

TEAM TIMOR NEWS

Boho Friday is on Friday 23 June to raise money for an English Language Centre in Malimea, Timor Leste.

Junior School students and Secondary School students are invited to attend Boho Friday, occurring in the Secondary School on Friday 23 June from 12:00 noon. This is the fundraising activity for East Timor we have run in the past, where students can have their nails done, hair braided or feathered, and receive henna body art or tattoos.
The money raised will go towards building a new English Language classroom in Malimea Village in the Ermera District.

A parent consent form will need to be signed for students under thirteen to receive henna body art.  This will be handed out in class closer to the day. However, we would advise students who have a skin condition or sensitive skin not to have one, in case of reaction. We will also run our Fair Trade stall, with goods from fifty cents through to twenty-five dollars, including bags, jewellery, purses, scrunchies,  baskets and more.

If you have any queries or would like to know more, please contact Kirsten Enders on 5175 9222 or by email at kenders@stpaulags.vic.edu.au.

Kirsten Enders
Team Timor
Traralgon Campus

YEAR 7 ANCIENT ROME EXHIBITION

Year 7 Humanities have been focusing on Ancient Rome, culminating in our Ancient Roman Exhibition, where students were able to showcase a museum piece they produced as part of their study. Much talent and hard work were on display, with pieces including gladiatorial weapons, replica Roman buildings, sculptures, coins, boats, mosaics and even a life-like welded Roman suit of armour.

Gracie Hasthorpe with her bust of Jupiter.

Eva, Phoebe, Nethul, Teddy, Harvey and Jackson enjoy Phoebe’s Roman bread, made from an ancient recipe.

Alexandra with her welded Roman armour.

Students assessed each other’s work and really enjoyed the chance to creatively show off their knowledge and skills. Teachers were impressed with the effort and skill shown by our talented students!

Kirsten Enders
Humanities and Commerce Teacher

TRARALGON PARENT PRAYER GROUP

Parents are welcome to join us for our monthly parent prayer group. The group will meet on Monday 19 June at 9:00 am in the School Library. For any further details, please contact Glen Treble – gtreble@stapulsags.vic.edu.au.

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.

End of Term 2
It is hard to believe that we are moving towards the end of Term 2 already. It has been a very settled and productive term with lots of learning and achievement across our school. Many thanks to our teachers and education support team who have again demonstrated their commitment to their classes and worked hard to ensure each student is progressing and striving towards their potential. Written semester reports will be available next week and families will receive an email advising when these have been uploaded and are accessible in MyStPauls.

Sincere thanks to Stephanie Vozzo, Jeanette Marshall and Kayla Ludbey who have been working in the Junior School office ensuring that our administration has continued seamlessly this term. Many of you will also have noticed the building repairs happening in the Junior School administration building. Many thanks go to our maintenance team that has completed the required work and will have us back fully functional and ready for Term 3. The flexibility and teamwork of our entire staff team has been fabulous and very much appreciated.

Lyn Stone Spelling Professional Learning
Last Friday, our teachers and education support team were treated to a day of professional learning with the wonderful Lyn Stone. Lyn is a linguist who has spent the last twenty years providing evidence-based professional learning and mentoring for teachers and allied health professionals. She has a private practice and is a popular author who has written three books – ‘Spelling For Life’, ‘Reading For Life’ and ‘Grammar For Life’. Teachers learnt about the underlying processes needed to achieve accurate spelling: cognitive load theory and orthographic mapping, what to do when spelling lags behind and Syllables, Schwa, Morphemes and Etymology. It was a very busy and worthwhile day.

What is Orthographic Mapping?
How do students go from sounding out every printed word to knowing sight words? The process of storing a word permanently in memory for instant retrieval is called orthographic mapping (Ehri, 2014, Kilpatrick, 2015). Research suggests that we scan every single letter of every word we read. Our brains use what we know about letter-sound relationships plus our awareness of speech sounds to map letter patterns and words together as units. These units are stored in long-term memory.

So how do children turn a printed word into a sight word? Creating a sight word involves forming permanent connections between a word’s letters, its pronunciation, and its meaning in memory (Perfetti, 1992; Rack, Hulme, Snowling, & Wightman, 1994). To read a word, a connection between a word’s spelling and letter-sounds is key (Ehri, 1992, 1998). A reader must notice the sequence of letters or spelling, pronounce the word and map the spoken sounds to the letters by reading and writing the word a few times to secure it in memory. This process of orthographic mapping (Ehri, 2014; Kilpatrick, 2015) forms the “glue” that bonds words in memory. Once a reader has a strong alphabetic mapping “system” in place — sight word learning will occur quickly and easily.

Sight words vs High-frequency words
Sight words are sometimes confused with high-frequency words. High-frequency words are lists of words that occur often in printed English texts. A sight word can be any word, including high-frequency words!

The most common high-frequency words, or about 100 words, account for approximately fifty per cent of the words used in school and colleges (Zeno et al., 1995). About twenty-five per cent of these words are irregular words. Since they appear often in text, it is important for comprehension to understand them. Many high-frequency words are also function words like articles (the), prepositions (of, from), pronouns (their, whom), and conjunctions that “glue” sentences together to guide the reader.

Many schools require students to learn specific lists of high-frequency words as a system to promote sight words. Unfortunately, the practice of memorising lists of words will not lead to a sight word vocabulary if it is not paired with the teaching of phonics and phonemic awareness.

Many high-frequency word lists contain words with irregular spelling patterns that cannot be easily decoded by students, for example, the ‘a’ in was or the ‘er’ in there. These words have a sound or spelling pattern that is either irregular or temporarily irregular if the student simply has not been taught a specific sound or pattern yet. These irregular parts of a word cannot be predicted by sounding them out (Carnine et al, 2006). Words that have unpredictable features are called irregular words. The good news is that most words only have one or two letters at most that are irregular. Children can rely on phonics to decode most of the word and commit to memory the irregular letter/letters. Skilled readers may require a minimum of one to four practices or exposures to commit an irregular word to memory (Reitsma, 1983).

Morphology and Etymology are important too.
Morphology is the study of words and their parts. Morphemes, like prefixes, suffixes and base words, are defined as the smallest meaningful units of meaning. Morphemes are important for phonics in both reading and spelling, as well as in vocabulary and comprehension. Teaching morphemes unlocks the structures and meanings within words. It is very useful to have a strong awareness of prefixes, suffixes and base words. These are often spelt the same across different words, even when the sound changes, and often have a consistent purpose and/or meaning.

Etymology is the study of the origins of words and how their meaning has changed over time. What does the word mean in its parts and pieces? How did that meaning come to be and how has it changed?  While English is a Germanic language, it shares many roots and prefixes with both Latin and Greek. Because of this, when you understand a single root or prefix you can apply that not only to a particular word that you are looking at but to many, many words. When you know about word origins, words become multifaceted and language becomes fascinating.

There is lots to learn about language and spelling and our continuous professional learning is certainly providing teachers with some excellent knowledge and skills to share with their students. Our Term 3 parent session, Learning to Read Part Two will focus on Spelling (Orthographic Mapping).

Sharing Best Practice Gippsland Conference
St Paul’s will again host Sharing Best Practice Gippsland on Saturday 24 June. This year’s keynote speakers include Dr Jennifer Buckingham PhD, OAM, Dr Bartek Rajkoski PhD and Reid Smith. The program of breakout sessions is also amazing and we feel very privileged to be involved in this important event for our regional area, local educators, parents and allied health. Parents are most welcome to attend and there are a number of sessions that are very relevant and interesting in order to learn about the science of reading and science of learning. There are a few tickets remaining and can be purchased here: https://www.trybooking.com/CIBBM

The Resilience Project
Today’s presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Mindfulness. Mindfulness is our ability to be present at any given moment. We practise this by using intentional awareness and concentrating on what we are doing when we are doing it. Thousands of studies into Mindfulness indicate that with regular practise, Mindfulness can lead to benefits such as; reduced stress, reduced rumination, increased memory, increased cognitive function and physical health benefits through improved immunity. Mindfulness can be practised through meditation, yoga, flow-states and daily activities such as cooking.
View Part 4 of the series here, Part 4 – Mindfulness: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-martin/

St Paul’s Trivia Night
Our FOSP team has been busy organising some special events for next term. The first is a St Paul’s Trivia Night. Families are invited to gather together for an evening of trivia with host Andrew “Deaksy” Deak. It is sure to be a great evening and lots of fun.

When: Friday 28 July
Time: 7:00 pm for a 7:30 pm start
Where: Traralgon Tennis Club, Corner Franklin and Davidson St
Who: St Paul’s parents, teachers and friends (18+ years)
Cost: $20 per ticket
Drinks will be available for purchase at bar prices
Purchase tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/CIVYV

Reminder – School Photos 2023
Our annual school photos have been finalised and are now ready to order. Arthur Reed Photos uses an online ordering system where you can view your photos prior to ordering. On photo day all students received a flyer that includes a code unique to them. You will require this 2023 code to register online and view your photos. If you have already registered, you will receive an email or SMS from Arthur Reed Photos with a link to view your photos. If you have not yet registered, please go to order.arphotos.com.au and enter your code to complete your order. If you have misplaced your registration code, please contact the Arthur Reed Photos customer service team directly on 5243 4390 or customerservice@arphotos.com.au  Please note that you will need to register online with your 2023 photo code to gain access to this year’s images.

All photo packages will be sent directly to your nominated address, so please ensure that you enter the correct details and nominated shipping address upon checkout. If you require any assistance ordering your photos, please contact Arthur Reed Photos directly on 5243 4390 or email customerservice@arphotos.com.au

Class Expos
The end of term is quickly approaching and parents are invited to join us for our end of term Classroom Expos. Students and teachers will have learning on display and parents are encouraged to visit classrooms on Wednesday 21 June from 2:30 pm to enjoy classroom activities and the sharing of learning tasks from throughout the term. Students are eager to showcase to their families the wonderful learning that has been happening. Please sign in on arrival at the Junior School office.

Farewell to Mrs Rachel Betts
As shared with our Junior School community earlier this year, we will farewell Mrs Rachel Betts, who is returning to England with her family, at the end of Semester 1. Rachel has been a teacher at St Paul’s for sixteen years teaching a range of year levels and classes. She is sincerely thanked and acknowledged for her contributions to many children and to her colleagues during this time. Rachel has been a valuable team member and has always placed the children in her care as a priority. Whilst we will miss her very much, we understand that time spent with family is very important and we wish her the very best for the relocation overseas and for her future teaching pursuits.

Tracey King
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON

JUNE
16 June  Centrepiece, West Gippsland Arts Centre, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
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.

TEAM TIMOR NEWS

Boho Friday is on Friday 23 June to raise money for an English Language Centre in Malimea, Timor Leste.

Junior School students and Secondary School students are invited to attend Boho Friday, occurring in the Secondary School on Friday 23 June from 12:00 noon. This is the fundraising activity for East Timor we have run in the past, where students can have their nails done, hair braided or feathered, and receive henna body art or tattoos.
The money raised will go towards building a new English Language classroom in Malimea Village in the Ermera District.

A parent consent form will need to be signed for students under thirteen to receive henna body art. This will be handed out in class closer to the day. However, we would advise students who have a skin condition or sensitive skin not to have one, in case of reaction. We will also run our Fair Trade stall, with goods from fifty cents through to twenty-five dollars, including bags, jewellery, purses, scrunchies, baskets and more.

If you have any queries or would like to know more, please contact Kirsten Enders on 5175 9222 or by email at kenders@stpaulags.vic.edu.au.

Kirsten Enders
Team Timor
Traralgon Campus

NEW READING EXPERIENCE

Exciting News! Our library has undergone a fantastic transformation to enhance the reading experience of students! We are thrilled to announce that we have completed the transition from the traditional Junior Fiction section to a dynamic genre-based system!

From now on, exploring our Junior Fiction collection will be a breeze. With our new genre-based system, our students will find it easier than ever to locate the perfect book that matches their interests and preferences. Whether they are a fan of thrilling mysteries, enchanting fantasies or heartwarming tales, we have got them covered!
Encourage your child to drop by our library and immerse themselves in the magic of books, now organised by genre. Our friendly librarians are here to guide them through the system and help them find their next incredible read.

Jannet Taylor
Head of Libraries

CLASS UPDATES

Prep
With so many common grapheme sounds and digraph sounds now known, a whole new world of reading has opened up to our Prep students! Students have been excitedly identifying both decodable words and learned words both in texts and in the world around them. This fortnight, students had a wonderful time reading (and wearing!) past Let’s Decode sentences to a partner who then used their letter-sound knowledge to write the sentence. Students have also continued learning about parts of speech, now being able to confidently identify nouns, verbs and adjectives in a sentence. In Maths, students have explored number bonds as well as comparing the weight of objects using the words ‘heavier’ and ‘lighter’ and the hefting method. Students have continued to discuss emotions and how to cope with emotions such as being worried, nervous or stressed as well as continually reviewing our Life Raft values and virtues.
Year 1
In Year 1, we are coming to the end of our trip around the world as part of our Core Knowledge learning. We have learnt about how many continents there are, how many countries are on each continent and about many of the landmarks around the world such as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the Acropolis.

We have continued to learn about different types of sentences – statements, questions and exclamations. We have practised identifying, punctuating and writing these. Our vocabularies have continued to be extended, by learning new words for small, yum and walk.

In Maths we have been learning lots of ways to calculate the answers to addition and subtraction equations and counting by tens starting from any number.
Year 2
As Term 2 draws to a close, students have moved from stress management techniques to help-seeking. They have considered how they might identify when they need help, how to express that they need help and which helpers they may have access to. Students are encouraged to consider situations in which their friends might be able to help and when they might need an adult. Through Play is the Way, students have been considering how they can show compassion towards other as they demonstrate tolerance and acceptance. They will continue with this focus for the remainder of the term.

Year 3
In Year 3 over the past couple of weeks, we have busily been delving into the world around us. This has involved learning about the biggest rivers in the world, the habitats they create and the way they create some spectacular attractions such as waterfalls and rapids. We have also been learning about Australia which has led to the creation of topographical maps of Australia which have displayed the states, cities and different environments within our country. Our students have excitedly developed their understanding of division and how to use an algorithm to solve sums, sharing joyous smiles when experiencing this success. We have also added some new additions to the classroom, with students developing procedural writing texts explaining ‘how to blow a bubble’. Finally, over the past couple of weeks we have had a focus on developing our understanding of stress management: What causes stress?; What we can do when we feel this way?; and understanding how it impacts our decision-making. The students have identified many strategies that can support them to manage such situations and have practised labelling the cause of their stress.

Year 4
Although Week 7 was a short week, it was lovely to have a week in the classroom where lots of new learning and consolidation took place.

In Literacy, the Year 4 students have been working hard to improve their sentence level writing and have started using ambitious vocabulary in complex sentences. In Numeracy, we have focused on time; specifically worded problems involving elapsed time and also working out the start and end times of activities.

The students have also enjoyed their Core Knowledge topic on maps and have learnt to identify different types of maps, as well as read information from a map using a key and working out distances from one place to the next using a map scale.
Year 5
The Year 5 students are currently in the process of writing an Information Report. They were required to gather information from the internet, plan, draft and publish this piece of writing into a Word document.
Year 6
During the past few weeks Year 6 students have been starting to learn about The Writing Revolution, focusing on comprehension questions and preparing for the Endeavour Expo.

In The Writing Revolution, we have been learning how to write full paragraphs from kernel sentences. A kernel sentence is a small piece of information about a topic, for our information Year 6 is using ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome. We also have been learning about topic sentences and supporting details. We then used this information to write a full paragraph.

For our novel study, we have been learning how to answer comprehension questions from ‘Wonder’. We have sketch-noted summary information while listening to the story. We then used the information to write a full paragraph answer to a question.
The Endeavour Program has many different activities that Years 5 and 6 are able to select to participate in every semester (two terms). This semester’s programs included 3-D Printing, Cooking, Express Yourself, Ball Sports, Coding and Art. On the second last Thursday of the semester, there is an expo to display all of the work that the Years 5 and 6 students have achieved. We are excited to share our learning experiences from this semester.

By Fraser and Kallan
Year 6 Students

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.

YOU BE THE GOODIE AND I’LL BE THE BADDIE

Which do you prefer – Tim Tam or Mint Slice? Dog or cat? Tea or coffee? Coke or Pepsi?

As fun little icebreakers, these sorts of questions can provoke much-animated discussion and even some heated debate. What they rarely do is define our social standing in a group. Sure, it is nice to find people who share our tastes and it is kind of fun to debate with those who prefer something different to us, but the stakes are low. Your beverage of choice is not going to get you outed from a group. What’s more, while these choices are being presented in a binary form where you must choose one or the other, we understand that reality is not so simple. For instance, while I love coffee and cannot stand tea, I know plenty of people that happily drink both.

But what happens when we start to apply this sort of binary thinking to more significant issues? Issues that speak to our identity? This is the sort of thinking that Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff identify in their book ‘The Coddling of the American Mind’ as the third great untruth being perpetuated in our society. In previous Grammarian articles we have addressed the first two great untruths – “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker” and “Always trust your feelings”. In this final article for the term, we will address the third and perhaps the most damaging untruth, that “life is a battle between good people and evil people”.

I remember as a child there was a very simple formula that went with most of our imaginative play. The setting might vary from imaginative space battles to medieval jousting but the basic template was summed up in the declaration, “You be the ‘goodie’ and I’ll be the ‘baddie’.” Life was divided up into good people and bad people and we had absolute clarity about who was playing which role. And this is perfectly normal behavior for children. A game of tag gets very confusing when no one knows who is ‘it’. A ball game falls apart very quickly when players are not clear about which team they are playing for. Separating ourselves into clear groups or tribes becomes both a practical necessity and increasingly, as we navigate our adolescence, a social necessity. We are drawn to people with shared interests. We identify ourselves with others who share similar ideals, beliefs and values. We join groups to participate in a common activity. We find ourselves in our tribes.

Tribalism can be a good thing. It provides connection, a sense of belonging and a shared purpose. The problem is not tribalism itself but the way our tribes are formed and how they operate. Psychologist, Elizabeth A. Segal, puts it this way, “We are built to be tribal. But sometimes that tribalism goes too far. The worst type of tribalism is groups aligned to destroy other groups, such as through ethnic cleansing and genocide. We have heard the word tribalism used a lot today in reference to our politics. Today in our political world, we have “bad tribalism.” Bad tribalism is a group identity that fosters the bullying and scapegoating of others not like you. Bad tribalism joins people out of anger, jealousy, and spite, not for collective wellbeing.” (Psychology Today, When Tribalism Goes Bad, March 30, 2019).

We see bad tribalism at play not just in our politics but in our general discourse and there is no doubt that social media encourages and perpetuates this kind of thinking and behaviour. The more narrowly we define our tribal identities around specific issues or features, and the more heavily we police those boundaries, the more negative our interactions become. Cancel Culture and Twitter Mobs are a natural outworking of this. Life is divided up into good people and evil people where ‘good’ is defined as anyone in total agreement with us and ‘evil is defined as anyone who disagrees. You may find yourself in total agreement with your tribe on nine out of ten issues, but should you step out of line on even just that one thing, you could find yourself living out a scene from Survivor as the tribe tallies the votes, announces, “The tribe has spoken,” and, with a dramatic musical flourish, snuffs out your torch. “It’s time to go” they say. And so, the great untruth is perpetuated once again. Good has triumphed and evil (in this case, you, with your willful rebellion) has been vanquished.

“If only it were so simple!”, says Lukianoff. “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” (Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind).

Life is not a battle between good people and evil people. Rather, life is a complex set of interactions between people simultaneously capable of great good and unspeakable evil. Sometimes we will disagree with the best of intentions and other times we will argue with the most selfish of motives.

We need a better model for navigating our disagreements. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian church with this advice, “Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.” (Colossians 4:6 The Message). The Christian church has not always got it right but we have a perfect model for engaging with others.

Jesus was aware of the tribal differences that plagued his world. Here is a short list of tribal tensions that we come across in the New Testament: Jews versus Romans, Samaritans versus Jews, Jew versus Greek, Greek Jews versus Hebrew Jews, Clean Jews versus Unclean Jews, Pharisees versus Sadducees, Rich versus Poor and Men versus Women.

Jesus is also famous for his cross-tribal love. In every single situation where he is confronted with a tribal barrier, he crosses it. He absolutely refuses to be caught up in his own tribe’s tribalism (Jews are better, purer and so on); nor will he be caught up in other tribal narratives. His love is relentless.

Jesus should be our model and the way we teach our young people to engage with each other. Rather than drawing lines in the sand, we need to pursue a relentless love.

“Be friendly with everyone. Do not be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Do not mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:16-18)

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain