From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mrs Leonie Clark

Fostering hope and hopefulness in our young people.

This week I would like to share another snapshot of whole-child learning and contemplation that I took away from the recent Associated Heads of Independent Schools Australia (AHISA) conference. I was privileged to attend a small workshop presented by the Meriden Anglican School in Sydney during which the team of Pastoral Care staff called attention to the need for a focus on hope and hopefulness in our young people.
We know that within our local and global communities, but especially for our adolescent students, there are times when it can be hard to hold onto hope. You only have to turn on the news of an evening to feel sad and disappointed in everyday events. The evening news is certainly not designed to make you feel better. They rarely report good news and it can be hard to turn away from the noise.
Thankfully, our schools are known and seen as places where young people can and do experience hopeful activities. As teachers, we know that when our students have hope in their hearts and feel positive about the future, they have greater success academically and personally.
Humans as we know are inherently hope-based creatures. Hope has historically determined our survival and our search for meaning in our faith in God. However, as the staff at the Meriden Anglican School shared, hope is something that you can consciously make a point of strengthening. Furthermore, the concept and understanding of hope in each of our lives need to be understood and consciously cultivated to become robust. They also suggested that our concept of hope has changed noting that historically hope was ‘God’, before it shifted towards ‘Nationhood’ and now in our contemporary society appears to be centered around the premise that there is ‘nothing bigger than me’.

Mrs Sandra Timmer-Arends (Head of Years 9 and 10), Ms Alice Zanella (Deputy Head of Secondary School), Amelia Wells (Traralgon Secondary School Captain), Ava Burslem and William Lambert (Junior School Captains), and Rick Battista (Deputy Head of Junior School), attending the ANZAC Day service at the Cenotaph Traralgon.

Last week we commemorated ANZAC Day and as a collective community we thought about those who served, those who held onto hope, those who went to war in the hope that they would be home by Christmas, as well as those who hoped and prayed for the safe return of their loved ones. Even in the darkest moments in history, humans have known that they needed to hold on to hope. As Desmond Tutu reminded us “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness”.
Hope in every single one of our students needs to be robust! As educators, we aim to coat each of our students at St Paul’s in hope. We know that our young people need to have their own understanding of hope so that they too can withstand life’s challenges. They need to always be ‘hopeful’.
Every time our students participate within the community in sporting teams, park run, or in giving their own time to others in the wider community, they are fostering a sense of hope in themselves by giving to a greater purpose, while simultaneously instilling a sense of hope in others. Hope in our students and our community is and can continue to be contagious.

Ms Alice Zanella (Deputy Head of Secondary School), Amelia Wells (Traralagon Secondary School Captain), Mrs Sandra Timmer-Arends (Head of Years 9 and 10), and Mitchell Rong (Traralgon Secondary School Captain), at the ANZAC Day service Traralgon.

When students choose to attend the ANZAC services and play in the brass band or sing in a choir, they are giving hope to others who have experienced great sadness and loss. When they participate in Chapel services, the backstage crew or contribute to our assemblies they are participating in hopeful activities at school that remind them of our Christian teachings about hope and faith in God. When our incredible team of staff provide our students extra time to help them or provide opportunities with a plethora of activities and clubs for them to explore at St Paul’s, they are role-modelling a sense of purpose and providing our students with hopeful activities. They do this because they want our students to feel connected with a sense of purposeful and hopeful activity within our community. Their joy is in the creation of hope for our students.
There are numerous other ways our students demonstrate and participate in hopeful activities at school and in the community. By fostering positive and kind relationships with others to build trust and a sense of connection and hope in others and in being a student who sees someone who is isolated or struggling and inviting them to join a group or activity, they are perpetuating hope. It is in fostering hope to work together for a united common goal that hope is spread far and wide.
We can all work together to nurture hope in our students by reminding them to think beyond themselves and make the world a better place for others. By sharing and promoting supportive interactions, involving themselves in community and co-curricular activities our students enjoy the mutual benefit of a sense of purpose, and connection while fostering a sense of hope for all.
I encourage our students to go ahead and raise funds throughout Year 10 Market Week for their chosen charities, to become involved in fundraising for East Timor, to pop their hand up to volunteer for backstage crew, help in the library, join the choir, or even the Student Harmony Advisory Committee, help collect cans for ‘Give a Can-Give a Dam’ or complete their Duke of Edinburgh awards. It is through making a difference and sharing the gift of hope while living a purposeful life, that our students will benefit from an enhanced level of personal hope as well as build upon our collective sense of hope, as a strong, robust and hopeful school community.
As Michelle Obama wisely shared, “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own”.
I would sincerely like to acknowledge the staff at the Meriden Anglican School for providing a wise and thought-provoking presentation at the AHISA conference and for drawing attention to the value of always working towards instilling a robust sense of hope and hopefulness in our young people.

Harmony Day Competition Winner
This year our Student Harmony Advisory Committee (SHAC) provided a very short reflective film text experience for our students in the Secondary School to celebrate and promote a greater understanding of Harmony Day. Our students watched most of the Disney Pixar film “Elemental”. The film was chosen by the SHAC committee because it addresses the themes of diversity and inclusion. Our SHAC committee provided a series of questions to encourage students to reflect and consider diversity while enjoying the film. Students were invited to respond to two questions of their choice and enter a competition to win a voucher to Cafeteria Arena in the new Futures Centre. There were several brilliant entries and winners. However, the standout response as judged by the committee was an entry written by Year 8 student, Emily Clark. I have included Emily’s responses below to the two questions she selected that she generously shared with the student body this week at our Traralgon Secondary School assembly.

How does “Elemental” show that people can be treated unfairly because they are different and why is this important to talk about?
The movie “Elemental” shows discrimination against people through a series of events that do not always include character actions. When Wade takes Ember to see the Vivisteria Flower after it’s been flooded, he still has to protect her from the rest of the water. This can be seen as a metaphor explaining how even after it is supposedly okay for her to be there, sometimes it is hard because of the impact that racism has left behind. We also need to take note of some of the language and behaviour shown towards Bernie and Ember. For example, using insulting terms based on their features, telling them to go back to where they came from and purposeful damage to goods illustrates their different treatment because of things that they can not control nor should be frowned upon for. It is very important to talk about these things a lot, especially in schools and other settings with younger people who are still learning, to create a good understanding of other people, their struggles and how we are all different, but still humans. We can not just ignore racism because that breeds racism in greater numbers. It needs to be spoken about, brought to light and prevented through a communal effort.

What actions can we take to make sure everyone is treated equally, based on what you saw in “Elemental”?
We need to stop completely separating people into two different groups, physically as well as mentally. In “Elemental”, there is a clear division via a bridge that separates Fire Town from the rest of Element City. There are no fire people in Element City, just as there are no other Element people in Fire Town. When nobody from either side of the bridge is talking to each other, a lot of hostility is bred between the groups, as seen in the treatment Bernie receives. This is very similar to cities in real life, with many immigrants having to separate themselves from majority groups because of negative views wrongfully spun from both directions. I believe we need to focus on stopping the clear divisions as represented by the bridge in “Elemental”, and make sure that everyone knows everyone else as people instead of avoiding each other. Areas that are heavily steeped in another culture are not bad and diversity shouldn’t be hidden from everyone. On top of that, we need to keep talking about racism and how to stop it. People need to be informed of a problem in order to fix it. The more we speak about racism and how to prevent it, the more we can walk towards a future without racism. Finally, we need to call out racism when we see it. Everyone has a voice, and sometimes it has to be used to support others.

Examination Preparation Years 9 and 10 and VCE Unit 1 Students
The Year 9 and Year 10 examinations are scheduled for Week 9B from Wednesday 12 June to Thursday 13 June, with a catch-up day scheduled for Friday 14 June.  It is never too early to start preparing for examinations and it is important to note that our Secondary School teachers have been teaching content this year, that will be tested throughout the examination period.
Students are advised to use their time in the afternoon/evenings to revise content taught during the day, complete tasks for assessment, undertake pre-reading for upcoming content and revisit previously learned content by testing themselves at frequent and spaced intervals.
I have included below the suggested Homework/Revision times published in the front of the student diaries. Should your child need additional support with a particular topic or content, they are advised to seek advice from their subject teachers sooner rather than later. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s Mentor or individual subject teacher/s should your child need additional strategies to support their study and revision at home.

Suggested Homework/Revision Times

Open Day 2024
We invite all of our current families to share with their friends and families the details of our upcoming Open Day at the Traralgon Campus on Saturday 4 May from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. It is a wonderful opportunity for families and community members to speak with our staff and tour the campus including the new Futures Centre.

To register your attendance, please click here. 

Child Safety In Our Carparks – A St Paul’s Team Focus
As the days become shorter in the coming months there is an increased need to be even more alert when travelling throughout our school grounds in vehicles. Please adhere to the 10 kilometres per hour speed limit and ensure that all children are directed to use the supervised pedestrian crossings. Too often we are witnessing cars traversing far too quickly throughout the bottom of the horseshoe and over the pedestrian crossing. We are increasingly concerned about vehicles parking on the grass opposite the flagpoles while signalling to children to cross the road. Little ones are particularly hard to see from inside a vehicle and very unpredictable in moving traffic as they struggle to safely estimate the speed of passing vehicles. We certainly do not want to see an avoidable tragedy unfold at our campus; the care of our community is everyone’s responsibility. We respectfully request that parents/guardians park in designated parking areas only. Please do not park or drive on our lawns/evacuation site opposite the flag poles adjacent to the main driveway between our two sub-schools.

Students Riding Bikes and Scooters
Just a reminder to all families that while we absolutely adore and warmly encourage our students to ride their bikes and scooters to and from school, they must always walk their bikes/scooters once inside our school grounds. It is far too dangerous to ride on the walkways and in between traffic during peak periods. Your kind support and reminders are greatly appreciated.

Leonie Clark
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON

MAY
4 May Open Day
9 May SEISA Music
10 May Kammer Konzert Rehearsal 2:00 pm
Kammer Konzert 7:00 pm
14 May SEISA Visual Arts
15 May Anniversary Service
16 May SEISA Junior Round 1
17 May Year 7 and Year 8 Disco
21 May Cultural Diversity and Dialogue Day
22 May National Simultaneous Storytime
23 May SEISA Junior Round 2
24 May Year 10 – P.A.R.T.Y Latrobe Regional Hospital Excursion
28 May Centrepiece
30 May SEISA Junior Round 3

JUNE
6 June SEISA Junior Round 4
10 June King’s Birthday Public Holiday
12 June Year 9 and Year 10 Examinations
13 June Year 9 and Year 10 Examinations
SEISA Junior Round 4
14 June Curriculum Day
17 June Semester 2 Commences
20 June Latrobe Valley Choir Big Sing 6:30 pm
25 June VCE Information Evening
28 June Last Day of Term 2 – Boho Friday, 2:10 pm Finish

PRAYER GROUP

The next Traralgon Parent Prayer Group will be on 27 May. All parents are welcome to attend. We meet in the Junior School staff room at 9:00 am and are finished at 9:30 am. Sign in at the Junior School Office and they will point you in the right direction.
If you cannot make it but would like to send through some prayer requests, or you would just like some further information, then please contact the Chaplain, Glen Treble.

Glen Treble
Traralgon Chaplain

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.

2024 Presentation Ball

A perfect autumn day set the tone for a beautiful event. A few nerves but a lot of happy smiles as 114 Year 11 students paraded around the dance floor on Saturday 27 April to mark the beginning of the 2024 Presentation Ball!
Every year we are proud of how our St Paul’s Presentation Ball is run, every Year 11 student is welcome to participate, they are presented in friendship groups and partner dances are progressive, eliminating the need to pick or find one partner. This year, participants had the opportunity to express their individualism even further by choosing attire in black, white or a combination of both, for both suits and gown options.
After ten school training sessions and a full rehearsal at Lardner Park, the dance and program logistics finally came together as a synchronised production of epic proportions.
We thank Michelle Theunissen-Scott for choreographing the contemporary girls, boys and group dances, along with progressive dances, the Pride of Erin and the Cha Cha, giving every participant the opportunity to dance with a partner.
Following the formal presentation of participants in groups, a lovely meal was shared concluding with a celebratory dance for the whole cohort, as DJ Nige packed the dance floor with joyous students, their families and staff alike.

Mrs Christine Gardener and Michelle Ireland
Presentation Ball Coordinators

2024 Student Trip to East Timor – Malimea

St Paul’s students and staff have been visiting Malimea Village, on the south-eastern corner of the Ermera District, for 13 years. Manuel Oliveira, the English teacher and visionary of Malimea, has always advocated for his village and the broader community. In 2019 he submitted a proposal for an English Language Study Centre (ELSC). After much collaboration, both in person and online, the ELSC now stands proudly, fully equipped and staffed ready for English lessons.
Malimea ELSC Inauguration Saturday 6 April 2024
Malimea was alive with excitement as the much-anticipated formal opening of its ELSC unfolded in a spectacular event filled with esteemed dignitaries, and speeches of thanks and gratitude for Team Timor’s support, delicious food and joyful dancing. The atmosphere buzzed with a sense of appreciation and celebration, marking a significant milestone for the community.
Distinguished guests from various sectors, including education and government highlighted the broad support and interest in enhancing English language in Malimea and the surrounding villages, which will hopefully open doors to broader opportunities for these Timorese students. Unbeknown to us, we were the honoured guests and our students carried this title with poise and maturity.
The feast that followed numerous speeches showcased a variety of dishes including a sacrificial buffalo accompanied by the staples of rice, vegetables and fruits; the best of Malimea’s cuisine. The local dignitaries, along with key Malimea staff and our tour group, shared this meal together, symbolising the connection of cultures and the combined support of the ELSC.
However, the true heart of the celebration lay in the joyful dancing that took centre stage. Age had no boundary as students, staff and locals alike shared the fun and further cemented the friendship between our school and the community.
The opening of the ELSC not only signifies a new chapter in Malimea’s educational history but also embodies a shared vision of embracing language diversity and global connectivity. The whole day set the tone for a future filled with learning, collaboration and cultural exchange.

The official welcome.

Rheid Hayley, Alice den Houting and Ella May sitting in front of the official sign.

Alice den Houting and Ella May enjoying the party.

Official photo taken inside the ELSC.

Andrea Heard and Chloe Davidson cutting the cake.

Kirsten Enders, Andrea Heard, Jan Park

St Paul’s Equestrian Team Success

Many St Paul’s Equestrian team members have been busy competing recently.
Over the school holidays, the Equestrian Victoria Interschool State Championships were held at Werribee.
Out of 164 schools, St Paul’s finished in 11th place, a commendable effort!
• Phoebe Cavill won the overall state champion award in the Senior Preliminary Dressage. She came fifth in the first test and first in the second test which culminated in the overall championship win.
• Kate Joyce placed overall third in the 1* Combined Training.
• Georgia Joyce was reserve state champion for the 80 Combined Training and placed second in the primary preliminary dressage test.
• Hadley Purcell placed in two of her showjumping classes with fourth and sixth place.
• Lily Wilson competed across a range of classes producing some lovely moments in dressage for the combined training and some great show jumping rounds.
As a result, it is very exciting to announce that Phoebe Cavill, Kate Joyce and Georgia Joyce have all qualified for the 2024 Australian Interschool Championship to be held later this year in Tamworth, NSW. We wish them all the best with their preparations!
Tommy Mordue, Jessi Armour and Bessie Brereton have also been out competing at various events. Well done!
Earlier in Term 1 the St Paul’s team of Layla Young, Stella Cardillo and Phoebe Cavill won the team section of the Stratford Interschool Event.

St Paul’s Team – Stratford Competition (Layla Young, Stella Cardillo and Phoebe Cavill).

Kate Joyce.

Phoebe Cavill.

Tommy Mordue.

Mel Hoskings
Equestrian MIC

Registrations for ICAS Competitions 2024 Now Open

We are delighted to inform you that St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School – Traralgon Secondary School will again be participating in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments™ this year.  ICAS is designed to target students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills.  In the coming days, you will receive a letter with further information by email.
ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to online assessments. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.
Learn more about ICAS here.
Our campus has signed up for the ICAS Assessments parent payment system (PPS) for Mathematics, English, Science, Spelling Bee, Writing, and Digital Technologies. Tests are available to students in Years 7 to 10, with the exception of Spelling Bee and Digital Technologies, which are only available to Year 7 students. Through this system, parents can pay for ICAS directly online while tests will still be held at our school. Please use the following details to register your child no later than Friday 19 July. Also, complete and return the permission slip that will accompany the invitation letter you will receive shortly.

Thank you for your ongoing support of ICAS Competitions at St Paul’s.

Donna Byrne
Director of Learning and Teaching – Traralgon Secondary School

TRARALGON CAMPUS ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

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

Heather Mason
Head of Performing Arts – Co-curricular

ALUMNI REUNIONS

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

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

Please RSVP by completing the registration here.

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

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

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

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

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions. Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply. $125 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $225 per year paid for eligible secondary school students. Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student. For more information and to download the application form please go to https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/resources

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

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