Cranbourne Campus News

Swim Carnival

A glorious day met us for the 2023 Swim Carnival. There was much anticipation around whether MacKillop could go back-to-back as champions and whether anyone could match the recent dominance of Assisi in the House Cheering Cup. The Carnival began with the traditional Acknowledgement of Country and a prayer that remembered those who could not be with us while asking for God's blessing on the event and all competitors. The formalities concluded with the Athletes Oath recited by our Sports Captains Alannah and Jay, on behalf of all the House Captains.

One can't help but think that seven of our Houses must have been seduced by the amazing smells coming out of the BBQ cooked by the VCE Vocational Major students, considering that it appeared only one House came out to play - and to be honest no one could blame the Houses as the Year 10 students cook a mean chicken burger! Right from the outset MacKillop showed dominance in the pool and from the first call of results after 10 events, they had already opened up a commanding lead and soon it was apparent that the other Houses were in fact playing for second place on the dais. While Assisi House was showing that they were going to be tough to beat in the Cheering Cup as had been anticipated by the Sportsbet bookies. The senior students turned on the elaborate costumes and the judging of best dressed by Ms Hogan was tight with the eventual winner being Marian’s Jade Gomes.

These school Carnival (Swimming and Athletics) days are more than a test of who our best Athletes are - while that is important. These days are a chance for students and teachers to come together in a non-classroom context to build connections and see each other in another light. To condone your child’s unwarranted absence or for the young people to miss the day for no reason, is depriving the young person of the great opportunity to build the community and strengthen the connections that will invariably be the protective factors as our young people attempt to navigate the rollercoaster ride of becoming a teen. From all who attended, I suspect that the testimony would be the same - ‘it was OK’ and sometimes for our young people that is as emphatic as some will get. For staff, the comments made all focused on ‘the right vibe’ being there for a great day out.

House Welcome Evening for Year 7 and other new students

It was wonderful to see the patronage of our Year 7 and New Student House Welcome Evening this year. This annual event is an informal opportunity for parents and students to meet with the House Leader and Learning Advisor to help in building the relationships that will support the young person in the years to come. What was especially pleasing was to see the Year 7 students proudly showing off their school and watching new parents meet with other new parents. The fact that most parents will now travel the 6-year journey at St Peter's alongside their young person, means that these connections with other parents might well be a really important extension of the web of support that is hoped will capture your young person as they come to understand who they are.

Peer Support

Another integral part of making connections at St. Peter's College comes through our Peer Support Program. Peer support is where our Year 10 students are trained to act as mentors to our Year 7s. During the course of their early weeks, the Year 10 students take our Year 7’s through a series of fun games and formation to help them to connect with each other and to connect with their school. It's great for both the 7s and for our 10s alike who are our emerging leaders. Although the teacher in me can't help but chuckle a little when the Year 10s come up exhausted after a session with the 7’s exclaiming, ‘How do you do it, working with young people?’

Jeremy Wright

Deputy Principal - Head of Cranbourne Campus