From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

We can sometimes take for granted the significant rite of passage moments experienced by students. In the past 2 weeks, two of those significant milestone moments were presented. Firstly, the Grade 6 into Year 7 Information evenings were held with a great buzz in the air. It was lovely to meet and speak to excited parents and students as they look forward to next year and their first exposure to the secondary setting. The second such moment was the suite of Year 12 events celebrating the completion of 13 years of education. Both of these were significant, signalling the revolving nature of education. I couldn’t help but pause and reflect and say to myself and others, stop and remember this moment as an important steppingstone into a future which is unknown, but full of exciting opportunities.

Farewell Year 12s

Tradition was one of the talked about themes amongst staff, parents and students as we, for the first time since 2018, were able to renew the traditional celebrations which mark 13 years of education. Whether it was the staff morning tea, the final House and School Assembly, the mass of celebration or the Valedictory Dinner the tone was one of respectful celebration and a time to give thanks. The Graduating Class of 2022 were exceptional in creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and joy in each of these events. It was wonderful to have parents attend in such great numbers rejoicing with their graduating son or daughter. An excerpt from the final assembly Principal’s address can be found below:

Life is an opportunity, seize the day, live each day to the fullest. Life is not a project, but a journey to be enjoyed. And we can only advance on our journey when we face our goal, we are confident and believe we are going to succeed. 

……laugh and possess a sense of humour, have a dream and pursue it, have no regrets and finally find love and be that loving person to those you meet along the journey.

One of the traditions at St. Peter’s College is to honour one staff member on each campus who has made a significant contribution to the College and in particular the Class of 2022. I congratulate the following staff members who were awarded the 2022 Valedictorian medal:

Clyde North Campus    Cranbourne Campus

   – Mr Ernie Rijs              - Mr Frank Carter

We wish the VCE students the best of luck as they commence their examinations and for the VCAL students our hope is that you achieve every success in your chosen pathway.

Performing Arts – Official Opening

This Thursday the official opening of the Performing Arts Centre took place. We were blessed to have in attendance Bishop Greg Bennet to bless the building and for Pauline Richards, MLA for Cranbourne and Ms Maria Kirkwood, Director and Chief Executive of Catholic Education, Sale Diocese to officially open ‘The Geode Centre’. The cost of the project was $15 million with the state government contributing $11 million provided through loans and self-funded means. 

Where does the name Geode come from? A Geode is a spherical rock structure which has a durable outer wall with the inner layers revealing the beauty of a cavernous core. In our context the rock is synonymous with our patron St Peter with the full beauty of the central space only to be realised in the performances which will be presented within this space. The Performing Arts Centre has been 12 years in the planning. The actual centre and accompanying facilities have been 3 years in the design phase and 2 and a half years in the construction. It encompasses state of the art sound and lighting. The backstage and biobox facilities will provide outstanding technical excellence to support productions and events. Surrounding the theatre, both downstairs and upstairs, are a suite of classroom spaces, change facilities, rehearsal spaces and green rooms and of course we have the theatre itself which has been acoustically designed to ensure the highest quality sound production. The stage itself is a wonderful expanse to showcase the talents of our students. The backstage area presents technological excellence and facilitates easy entry points for onstage access. This is a centre both our campuses can be proud of. My thanks, in particular, are extended to Mr Phillip Mustey, Business Manager and Mr Adam Bonnici our Maintenance officer. I look forward to the many events to take place in this magnificent centre, showcasing the talents of extraordinary students.

High Achievers

Congratulations to the following high achieving students:

Zealandia Schwalger (Year 11) whose art piece was selected as the winning entry for the cover of the 2022 shared stories publication. 

Leo Lance Antonio Bagayao (Year 8) for achieving outstanding results in the junior section of the 2022 Australian Mathematics Competition. Leo has been invited to attend the upcoming 2022 AMC Awards ceremony.

World Teacher’s Day

I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of teachers as we celebrate World Teacher’s Day today. Teachers play a formative role in shaping and forming our young people. Yes, it is about imparting knowledge and walking alongside our young people as learners but it is so much more. Everyone can name one or more of our own teachers who inspired us and helped shape who we are and the pathways we have chosen in life. Our St. Peter’s College staff play that same role and inherently we stand in the very privileged position to be the same to our young people who enter into our classrooms.

My sincere thanks to all teachers and those taking on teaching duties here at St. Peter's College. Thank-you for the dedication, the passion, and the professionalism you show each and every day. 

Enjoy the week ahead and for our students, enjoy the holidays and stay safe.

Mr Chris Black

Principal