Week 4 – Already!

For many of us we viewed last week’s snap lockdown as bad news and worried that we had lost valuable learning and teaching time. What we forgot is the good news that we are the pilot. I like this quote from Michael Altshuler as it reminds me of how quick we are to see bad news in how quickly time goes by and the lost opportunities. Instead, what if we focussed on being the pilot taking more control of our time and how we use it? Some of us rush to Friday, forgetting that so much life happens from Monday to Thursday which needs to be celebrated and enjoyed. Whilst we may not be able to slow the passage of time we have choices in how well we use and value the time we have.

This reflection from Samuel (Yr 12) about last week’s study session is a good example of being the pilot following the knowledge gained at this valuable VCE/VCAL study and time management skills seminar run by Elevate. Our thanks to Mr Brannan and Ms Michael for organising this event.

"The session last Thursday from the Elevate study skills group was very good. There were a lot of useful tools which we learnt and I felt like nearly everyone gained some sort of helpful insight on how to balance their lives with study and how to set ourselves up for success come exam week. I would highly recommend this program/session for Year 10s and 11s so that they can be equipped and begin to practise the tools that we wish we knew earlier".

SHROVE TUESDAY: Pancakes and a shared lunch through a VIRTUAL DEMONSTRATION

In the spirit of solidarity, the Houses rallied to join together via zoom to observe Shrove Tuesday, the Christian tradition whereby all eggs, milk, sugar are used up to make way for a simpler diet during the 40 days of Lent that commences the following day.

While many would have preferred to be on face-face on campus to mark the occasion, the St. Peter's College community rose to the occasion with staff and students participating in virtual live cooking demonstrations to share their own Shrove Tuesday pancake recipes and traditions.

See below for some of the delicious pancakes that were created by Mehasa & Mrs Barrett.

As seen in our wonderful pancake challenge, we are never really ever alone. Ash Wednesday usually means receiving the ashes during a House liturgy to mark the beginning of Lent. Whilst we were not able to be together physically this year, our Lenten journey began with each House zooming a meaningful and reflective liturgy.

House Welcome Evening – new date: Tuesday, 9 March 2021

We are very pleased to announce the change of date for this important evening. This year we are inviting new parents and students to join with Years 7, 8 and 9 students and parents to the House Welcome Evening. The critical focus for Year 7 & 8 parents is to meet your child’s House Leader and Learning Advisor as they guide you through Learning Conversations. Learning Conversations seek to frame meaningful dialogue around your child’s learning strengths, challenges and interests. Year 9 parents will enjoy the experience of Passion Projects presented by the students themselves. Later in the term we hope to run a specialised VCE evening for our senior students and their parents.

A Bystander– are you one?

A bystander is someone who sees or knows about something that is not right, whether it be bullying or watching others treat someone poorly. Bystanders can be either part of the bullying problem or poor behaviour or an important part of the solution to stop such behaviour. Which are you?

I invite parents to raise the topic of bystanding with their child as secondary school can be challenging when trying to make good decisions about friendships and peers. I invite our young people to consider the following: As a bystander, you can choose to be:

A) the Sidekick, who joins in on the poor/bullying behaviour and makes it worse

B) the Reinforcer, who eggs on the poor/bullying behaviour by watching it or laughing at it

OR

C) the Upstander, who tries to help by getting support from an adult.

We need to support and empower our young people to be Upstanders in their community. We often give up things for Lent, maybe this Lent we take up the challenge on not being a bystander, but step forward as an upstander.

College Counselling Service

Rachael Richards

Counsellor

Thanks so much for your warm welcome, I'm thrilled with the opportunity to come alongside you in support of students, families and my fellow staff at St. Peter's College. I have a treasure trove of working experiences and study that has filled my pockets with creative ideas and resources that I am excited to share to achieve the best possible outcomes for students to achieve success, both educationally and personally. My approach is relational and strengths based and I’m always keen to collaborate and consider all the ideas – even the slightly wild, left of centre ones.

With my working background being mostly in Child Protection and in the Foster Care system, I’ve been privileged to have a front row seat in observing the capacity for resilience that young people have in the face of incredible adversity. While it can sometimes seem like the solution for a problem a young person may be facing, is to point it out and if possible – solve it, I’ve found that skilling a young person with resources, asking questions that encourage the young person to problem solve their own challenges, and offering myself as a sounding board - often leads to a young person developing a sense of agency and confidence that they have within themselves the capacity to create positive and lasting change. And sometimes, their pathways to the solution are far more creative and brilliant than I could ever think of.

When I’m not caring for others in a counselling capacity, I have three boys – identical twins and their older brother who definitely keep me on my toes - so as self-care and for a little me-time, I teach Yoga and Meditation and have just started dabbling in Pottery. So that’s me! If you see me with Vegemite smears on my pants and lumps of clay in my hair – say hello and know that while my life and heart are full, I am always keen to create a space for us to connect and build a strong St. Peter's College with you.

Sylvia Keane

Student Counsellor

Qualifications:

Graduate Diploma of Counselling

Bachelor of Health Sciences (Psychology and Family, Society & Health)

Sylvia Keane is one of our newly appointed Counsellors joining the Student Wellbeing Department at the Clyde North Campus. Sylvia has experience in the breadth of a student wellbeing service such as student counselling, case management, prevention and early intervention services and mental health programs. Sylvia is also a member of the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association. Sylvia describes her therapeutic approach as strengths-based and person-centred. Throughout her career, Sylvia has provided counselling services to a wide range of students experiencing mental health issues such as anxiety. Sylvia has always been inspired by students ability to be light-hearted, resilient and hopeful in the face of adversity. Sylvia is deeply passionate about supporting students to thrive throughout their schooling experience by helping to build students life skills, personal development and social connectedness. Sylvia is also interested in creating networks of support towards student engagement by collaborating with families, staff and community services. Sylvia’s proudest achievement to date is being able to support students to overcome their anxiety and make a successful return to the classroom whereby they are empowered and ready to learn. When Sylvia is not working with students, she enjoys taking part in yoga, traditional Indonesian dancing and bush walking. Sylvia is looking forward to making a valuable contribution to the pastoral care team and the wider St. Peter’s College community.

I wish you all a safe and productive week.

Julie Banda

Deputy Principal - Head of Clyde North Campus

General News

Maths Help on Wednesdays (CRA)