St Peter's News

From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

It has been lovely to enter into classrooms over the past week and spend some time with students.  In the case of year sevens, it is an opportunity to welcome them officially to St Peter’s College and to check-in on how they are settling in. It is also an opportunity to explore with them what it means to be educated in a Catholic school. Our pillars which guide our practice faith, education and service are an entry point for the first of many conversations. 

The catch-ups with year eight students have been different. When asked the question, what is different this year for you, I have been heartened by the responses which have centred on raised expectations from teaching staff regarding the quantity and quality of work both within the classroom environment and beyond. It was also a theme explored with year twelve students who I met last week. Across my conversations with staff and students thus far (and which will continue with year tens and elevens next week) the central theme is about expectations surrounding work ethic. We have all heard the phrase, “work smarter not harder”; there is much truth in the statement however there is no escaping the fact that to perform at a high standard and to extract the most out of self in respect to learning and understanding you have to work hard.  

This was the theme of my address to staff and students as we welcomed back our high achieving students from the class of 2023. Students who received a study score of 40 or above, those that obtained an ATAR of 90 or above, those students who achieved the highest study score across the cohort and the Vocational Major highest achieving student are welcomed back so that the school community can share in the success. It is always exciting to hear the words of wisdom shared by our Dux – the student who achieved the highest ATAR score. The Dux for 2023 was Oliwia Hoehle with an outstanding ATAR of 95.65. Her study scores included: Further Maths (44), Polish (42), Biology(37), Literature (36), Chemistry (35), Mathematical Methods (34). Oliwia spoke of the importance of working hard but also working in the manner which suits the individual rather than following the crowd. Oliwia also spoke of the importance of accessing VCE study resources to supplement the college work program. I have no doubt that Oliwia’s words of wisdom resonated strongly with students. 

I congratulate our 2023 high achievers and encourage them to reach for the stars. May our school motto, “Be Not Afraid”, continue to guide their journey.

 

 

 

Five Core Ingredients                                                     

 

We all have dreams and our students are encouraged to have these dreams and dream big yet importantly for dreams to become a reality there are, in my mind, five core ingredients. 

They are:

  • A large dose of hard work – nothing is served up on a platter. Homework is not a choice and as you move through the secondary years the quality and quantity of homework grows.
  • A commitment to go beyond the set work to extend self. Don’t just accept the minimum standard of yourself.
  • Ensuring class time is utilised fully to get the most out of your learning experiences. Time wasting only impacts on one individual.
  • A preparedness to seek out teacher’s assistance and a recognition that your teachers will partner with you on your learning journey and support you all the way
  • A commitment to ensuring schooling is your number 1 priority

 

Top Ten Tips

I have no doubt that one additional core, not so secret, ingredient which supports student’s learning and academic success is family support. Anecdotally our most successful students are those where parents are actively engaged in the son or daughter’s learning. In a secondary college actively engaged can take many and varied forms. 

Here are my top ten tips to engage with your child's learning:

  • Consistent attendance at Student Learning conversations.
  • Attendance at special parent evenings.
  • Bringing your son or daughter to the Futures Expo.
  • Regular check-ins with your child’s learning advisor or subject teachers
  • Having learning conversations at home – one way to commence this is to ask questions such as: what’s one thing you learnt today?”, or, “what was the best part of your school day?”
  • Monitoring homework.
  • Setting up a place at home to ensure quiet independent work can occur, free from distractions!
  • Discussing their English textbooks with them – sometimes reading these ahead of your child can be a wonderful opportunity to engage with the text.
  • Help them revise for a test by asking questions.
  • Read the newsletter and access social media pages and the web-site for the current news and events.

Success in learning is made up of many ingredients.  I invite all parents to continue to support their son or daughter's learning journey.

 

 

Wishing all a safe and fulfilling week ahead

 

 

 

Mr Chris Black

Principal