Other very high achievers included:  Finn Colman of Traralgon on 97.7, Georgia Hughes of Traralgon on 97.65, Macy Austin of Glengarry on 95.95, Cleo Seinen of Drouin on 95.8, Lydia Reiske of Yinnar on 95.6, Paige Blyth of Warragul South on 95.45, Emma Wong of Yarragon South on 94.9, Claire Coots of Trafalgar on 94.85, Jonathan Charles of Warragul on 94.75, Chloe Majstorovic of Yarragon on 94.65, Sara Jovanovic of Berwick on 94.3, Samuel Schreyer of Warragul on 93.35, Sienna Vanderzalm of Warragul on 93.15, Ella Attard of Neerim East on 92.35, Kelsey Hollier of Yarragon on 91.85, Alexandra Elder-Hackford of Warragul on 91.15 and Lucy Hill of Berwick on 90.5.

Amongst the year level are a number of inspiring success stories from students whose hard work and perseverance has enabled them to exceed their own expectations.  There are several examples of students who, with support, have triumphed over health and personal hardships to achieve impressive results.

In all 11% of students achieved an ATAR over 95 and 22% of students achieved an ATAR over 90.

The percentage of students who achieved an ATAR of over 80 was an impressive 48%, placing them in the top 20% of the state. 85% of students achieved an ATAR over 50.

This year’s cohort plan to study a diverse range of courses from medicine and engineering to fashion design and fine arts.

The next few weeks will be an exciting time for students who now await offers of places at a range of university and TAFE institutions, seek employment or travel overseas.

The U20 Senior Girls team was undefeated all week with a brilliant performance playing in Division 1. A very young team, with an average age of only 15, they played against teams from all over Australia.

The U20 Senior Girls went on to win the gold medal match in a very close game by five points against Marsden State High School from Queensland.

The Junior Boys team also came home with a gold medal after winning the U15 boys grand final in Division 3 which was also a close game against Edinburgh College.

St Paul’s is the first Victorian school ever to win two primary school divisions at the TOM finals and the first Victorian school since 1994 to win the primary Language Literature division.

TOM is a problem-solving program for primary and secondary students that develops diverse skills through open-ended challenges across STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Language Literature, Social Sciences and the Arts disciplines.

Schools from Hong Kong, China, South Africa, Uganda, New Zealand, Thailand, India and the UAE participate in this international competition. The 2019 competition commenced with the regional competitions which had around 14,000 students participate this year from a range of Australian and overseas schools.

The STEM and Language Literature teams from St Paul’s represented Victoria at the international finals after attaining the primary Victorian state titles at the state final that was held at La Trobe University.

The students from both teams attend St Paul’s Warragul Junior School which runs TOM as part of their co-curricular program where students train during lunchtimes and after school (whereas many other schools train for TOM as part of their curriculum).

TOM actively encourages teamwork as teams participate in a six week ‘Long Term Challenge’ to produce a creative and original presentation for a solution to a problem that is unique to their challenge field. Each presentation is required to be presented in under ten minutes to a panel of judges and follow complex challenge criteria.  Teams also complete a short ‘Spontaneous Challenge’ on Tournament Day that requires the group to work together and think creatively and quickly on the spot.

The challenges in Language Literature involved in-depth analysis and research of texts from a variety of areas, whereas STEM challenges provide an integrated approach using creative and critical thinking skills to solve authentic context challenges.

During the final, students from both St Paul’s teams were able to deliver skills that employers looks for – reading and understanding a problem and then offering a solution to the problem.

This is the third consecutive year that St Paul’s has had a team compete in the TOM International Finals.

At the recent awards ceremony in Sydney, it was announced that St Paul’s was one of the runners up, with competition so close that the presenter advised it was a very close result with the top four schools being within one point.

The Australian Education Awards recognise the achievements of Australia’s top performing schools, principals and teachers in a series of School Awards, Individual Awards and Curriculum Awards.

St Paul’s competed against over 150 submissions in this category, with the overall winner of this category, being a Northern Territory secondary school, Taminmin College.

The St Paul’s Junior School is committed to the development of STEM in every day teaching to raise foundational skills in STEM learning areas with all students from the Early Learning Centre to Year 6 having the opportunity to participate in problem-based learning projects that encompass a STEM, transdisciplinary approach. In 2016, St Paul’s opened the STEM Centre at the Warragul Junior School, which has been highly engaging for students and an exciting addition to the learning and teaching of STEM.

The importance of STEM is recognised in the education sector and is widely talked about as a national priority closely linked to Australia’s productivity and economic future.  Since the announcement of the Finalist Award, St Paul’s Warragul Junior School has had Melbourne schools and universities visiting and contacting them to find out how they introduced their leading STEM program and look at how it is delivered to the students.

The St Paul’s Academy of Music will be led by the school’s Artist-In-Residence and St Paul’s Alumnus, Mr Benjamin Sim, who commenced at the school earlier this year.

The Academy will provide students with a dedicated focus for the professional development of their chamber, orchestral and musical skills, which will be enhanced by regular collective, cross-level tutorials and sectional workshops.

With specialist orchestral instrumentalists and vocal tutors, an opportunity for solo and chamber performances will be available both internally and externally at a range of venues, incorporating live concert exposure and collaboration with professional performers.

The St Paul’s Academy of Music is described as a rare opportunity for regional musical students to obtain access to specialist training and performances along with musical mentoring opportunities.

Open to selected students, places are now available at the Warragul Campus and at the Traralgon Campus from 2020. Please contact bsim@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au for further information.

The Premier’s VCE Awards recoginses top performing students for their outstanding academic achievements in VCE.

Janelle Rajasingham, the 2018 Dux of St Paul’s, was presented with the English Language Study where she had received a perfect score of 50.

Cameron Wong was presented with the Environmental Science Study Award for his achievement of 49 out 50.

Nearly 300 students from around the state received an award across 87 VCE subjects in the categories of Top All-Round VCE High Achievers, Top International Students Study Awards.

The St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Junior School at the Warragul Campus has recently been announced as a finalist for this year’s Australian Education Awards in the category of Best STEM Program.

The Australian Education Awards recognise the achievements of Australia’s top performing schools, principals and teachers in a series of School Awards, Individual Awards and Curriculum Awards.

In the education sector, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is widely talked about and is a national priority closely linked to Australia’s productivity and economic future.

The St Paul’s Junior School is committed to the development of STEM in every day teaching to raise foundational skills in STEM learning areas. Under the guidance of the STEM Coordinator, Ms Traceye Rapinett, and the STEM action team, all students from the Early Learning Centre to Year 6, have the opportunity to participate in problem-based learning projects that encompass a STEM, transdisciplinary approach. The program is designed to develop student interest in STEM-related fields and improves problem-solving, critical analysis and creative thinking skills.

In 2016, St Paul’s opened the STEM Centre at the Junior School, which has been highly engaging for students and an exciting addition to the learning and teaching of STEM.

Winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony in Sydney on Friday 16 August.

Click here to learn more about the St Paul’s Warragul Junior School.

The centre was officially opened by The Right Reverend Dr Richard Treloar, Bishop of Gippsland and Ms Harriet Shing MLC, Member for Eastern Victoria.

The Bishop blessed and dedicated the new facility in front of guests that included Baw Baw Shire Mayor Councillor Mikaela Power, state politicians, St Paul’s founding families, School Board Directors and School Prefects.

The new “Year 9 Centre” is a two-storey, six classroom building complex situated at the St Paul’s Warragul Secondary School. The centre’s learning environment has been designed for the imagination and creativity of the staff and students at St Paul’s to drive their learning outcomes. Flexible and adaptable learning spaces across two floors create a highly visible and connected series of rooms to enable students to work in different settings.

The more formal spaces slide open into the breakout learning areas that extend directly to outdoor spaces, formed for social gathering within a backdrop of a soft outdoor landscape.

The building encourages and supports innovative teaching that inspires students to engage and explore their learning pathways.

The newly formed ‘village green’ to the north opens up a recreational space, providing a welcoming arrival for students.

This new facility will provide the Year 9s at St Paul’s with a large new learning space specifically designed for flexible use, both within the building and out into the adjoining external spaces.

Held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, the St Paul’s Swim team comprised of both Junior and Secondary students from Years 4 to 12 from both Warragul and Traralgon Campuses.

The team competed against other SEISA member schools that included Beaconhills Pakenham, Beaconhills Berwick, Newhaven College and Gippsland Grammar.

With a total of six St Paul’s individual age group champions on the day, students from the Warragul Campus included: Neisha Ablett – Under 16 year Female Champion; and Jessica Emmett – Under 21 Female Champion; and students from the Traralgon Campus: Ella Warner – Under 12 years Female Champion; Ashley Nicholes – Under 13 years Male Champion; Molly Cargill – Under 14 Female Champion; and Jordyn Cargill – Under 15 years Male Champion.

Jordyn and Molly Cargill, the Under 15 years Male Medley Relay team, the Under 16 years Female Freestyle team and the Under 13 years Male Freestyle Relay team also broke records on the day.

SEISA is an Association of Independent Schools providing interschool co-curricular competitions across both sporting and cultural fields.

Carissa Hughes (Year 10 2018) was a state finalist and will travel to Singapore and Vietnam for a study tour during the Easter holidays.

Isabella Watts and Sarah McCulloch (Year 9 2018) were regional finalists for Gippsland and will attend a study tour in Canberra in the mid-semester holidays.

With around 600 entries every year, the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac prize provides annual study tours and is open to entry submissions from Years 9 and 10 students to learn more about Australia’s military history.

The students are three of around 42 winners of study tours and they entered the competition last year as a part of their History studies of World War I and World War II.

State finalist, Carissa Hughes completed an interview and produced a YouTube clip on the experiences and contribution of Vietnam Veterans; regional finalist Isabella Watts completed a series of letters between a nurse and her mother (whose son was also fighting in WWI) that highlighted the experiences of a variety of women in WWI; and regional finalist Sarah McCulloch completed two sketches depicting the experiences of women in WWI.

The students will also attend the Premier’s Anzac Day Lunch at the Grand Hyatt in April.

The study tours are a wonderful opportunity for these students to learn about the service and sacrifice of our veterans.