From our Principal
Dear Parents, Students and Friends,
Spring has finally sprung. The days are becoming longer, the sun is starting to shine and the smells of spring are starting to emerge. From a school perspective the effect is tangible with energy levels rising, a sense of wellness and happiness emerging and students (and staff) generally happier. It’s great to have our community connected in these conditions as learning and opportunity become the clear winners!
Social Justice Sunday
Last weekend was nominated by the Australian Bishops as Social Justice Sunday. Each year it provides an opportunity to highlight a particular social justice theme or topic. This year’s Social Justice statement is inspired by Jesus response to the healing of the Blind Man Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). In this and many other instances in the Gospels, Jesus notices, listens to and cares for those on the margins. This year’s theme is titled: “Signs of Hope on the Edge: Serving homeless people with mental ill-health”. The statistics on the homeless for the past 12-month period are startling: 273,600 people received assistance from homelessness services, 12,500 people who asked for help at a homelessness service died, 40,000 young Australians sought homelessness support and since 2011, the rate and proportion of homeless people with a mental health issue has increased each year. At St Peter’s College we strive to develop the whole person and provide students with opportunities and learnings based on a the following question: how we can be “Christ-like” in thought, word and action? Our Graduate outcomes, in part, speak to this specifically in the following aspirational statements:
SPC is committed to inspiring our graduates to:
Appreciate the value of participating actively in a faith-filled community.
Serve their community and the wider world as Christ did, in thought, word and deed.
Be hope-filled and resilient in facing life’s challenges.
Be agents of change inspired by the ROCKS of St Peter’s College - to be respectful, organised, collaborative, kind and safe.
At St Peter’s we endeavour to provide opportunities for students to learn the ways and means of making a difference to others. Our Year 11 Youth ministry students are being provided with just that in the form of a lived experience of homelessness. This is occurred in two different forms over the past term. The first example is the offer to support the work of Rosies in reaching out to the homeless in the CBD by way of issuing hot drinks, food and the opportunity to chat. The second is to participate in a Winter Night In, a night of fun activities, talks and discussion aimed at raising awareness of homelessness. Both of these events are aligned with the principles of Social Teaching, particularly the principles of: the Dignity of the Human Person, the Common Good and Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. Our students have had the opportunity not only to learn but as importantly experience and contribute to the building of a more just and welcoming society.
Child Safety Awareness Week
This coming Sunday is recognised in the Church’s calendar as Safeguarding Sunday. It is an opportunity to highlight the importance and significant responsibility of us all in creating and maintaining the highest standards of Child Safety. The theme of this year’s National Child Protection Week is: “Every conversation matters: Shifting Conversation to Action. In part this year’s campaign is focused on moving beyond conversations to concrete actions that prevent harm and instead, focus on strengthening support systems, and empowering communities to actively protect children. One of the most challenging areas for young people today is to ensure they remain protected when online. The e-Commissioner website is enormously helpful for both parents and young people in respect to learning how to maintain safe practices whilst navigating the complexities of the online world. Click here to access this informative reference. One of the areas in particular where child safety is increasingly being compromised is in the area of sexual exploitation. Resources highlighting these specific risks as well as other excellent resources can be found below:
A number of policies and procedures related to Child Safety at St Peter’s College can be found here. Alternatively, please feel free to make contact with your child’s House Leader or the designated Child Safety Officer located on each campus and listed below with any child safety related matters you might have:
Clyde North – Mrs Julie Banda
Cranbourne – Mr Jeremy Wright
High Achievers
Congratulations to the following individuals and teams who have experienced success recently:
Lakyn Webb
During the semester holidays Lakyn travelled to the Gold Coast to compete in the Artistic Gymnastics Nationals Competition. He was there representing Victoria Under 13s where they finished 2nd Overall in the competition. Lakyn was able to win Bronze, coming 3rd in "High Bar" meaning he was actually the 3rd best on the high bar in all of Australia for his age group. Lakyn is soon travelling to Canberra to take part in a training program at AIS (Australian Institute of Sport). Here he will get to train with Olympic Gymnasts and be trained by the Head Coach of the Australian Gymnastics team.
Lakyn is hopeful to compete and represent Australia very soon. Congratulations Lakyn
The FUSE Cup Team
Congratulations to the FUSE Cup team. The FUSE Cup is an international esports competition for young gamers designed to encourage positive gaming behaviours and digital wellbeing.
Our St Peter’s team are through to @thefusecup State Finals! After an intense battle, our teams took out 1st and 2nd place in the Rocket League Melbourne South Finals – qualifying them to compete in the State Finals on the Gold Coast at the FUSE Esports Festival. Congratulations team.
Enjoy the weekend and the week ahead.
Mr Chris Black
Principal