Dear Parents and Carers,

The chill in the mornings is refreshing, and you surely know that you are alive! The colder weather appears to have arrived! Please make sure that your children are dressed appropriately and remember that from next Monday all children are expected to be in Winter Uniform.

It has been great to see that most of our children are arriving on time each morning, ready to begin their learning soon after. Thank you to parents for ensuring this takes place. It is even more important now, more than ever before that a smooth start to the day is established for your children so that excellent learning can take place. We ask that you continue to ensure that the children arrive on time 8:45am.

Mothers and Special Person’s Day – Sunday 10th May 2026

I hope all our families have a chance to celebrate Mother’s Day this coming Sunday! I hope all mothers have a day of happiness, a day where they feel cherished and where they can take time to dream dreams for their children. Mother’s Day is a day of joy and celebration for those who can spend time with their mothers. For others, it is a day of remembrance of mothers who are no longer with them. The special thing about the day is that we all stop and in our own ways, we take time to honour Motherhood.

We look forward to welcoming all our Mothers and Special Persons to our Breakfast this Friday Morning from 8:30am for Bacon and Egg Rolls!

A Prayer for Mothers

Gracious God, you chose Mary to be the mother of your son Jesus Christ. As you blessed her through her Son, bless all mothers. Grant them patience, wisdom, strength and joy, so that they may care for and love the children you have given to them and placed in their care.

Loving Father in heaven, we thank you for the mothers you have given us, whose commitment is so precious that it can never be measured. May we see your loving hand behind them and guiding them. We pray for those mothers who fear or who are in broken relationships and ask you to bless them with your own special love and the gifts. We pray for children and fathers, that they may appreciate, love and support their mothers and wives.

Pupil Free Days

Please note that in Term 2 we have set aside three days as a Pupil Free Days for Staff Professional Development.

Tuesday 5th May School will be closed as a Staff Professional Development Day
Monday 18th May School will be closed as a Staff Professional Development Day
Monday 22nd June School will be closed as a Staff Professional Development Day

St. Peter’s School Advisory Council Meeting

The St. Peter’s School Advisory Council is a representative group from our school community that advises the principal on the school’s strategic direction and matters that shape our Catholic ethos.

The Council provides a formal way for parents, staff and community members to contribute their perspectives, ask questions and support planning for the future of the school.

The council’s next meeting takes place this evening and will focus on 1. Reviewing the Victorian Child Safe Standard strategies, 2. Master Planning, 3. Enrolment Trends and 4. Marketing

Expressions of Interest St. Peter’s School Advisory Council

St. Peter’s School Advisory Council is seeking new council members with the capacity and skills to oversee and support the strategic direction of the school, aligned with our Catholic School ethos. If you would like to become a Council Member, please send an Expression of Interest to the school Principal pbissinella@spbendigo.catholic.edu.au by the end of this week. Your Expression of Interest should cover why you would like to be involved with the council and what attributes or contribution you would be able to offer.

Parent's Car Park – Traffic Movement

The management of traffic flow at the beginning and end of the day is always a concern. We are fortunate that there is very little non-school traffic in the mix at these times. If the road signage and markings are adhered to with a good level of patience a safe environment can be maintained.

We remind drivers to turn to the left when exiting the carpark onto Fenton Street and going around the roundabout, rather than crossing directly across the traffic to turn right.

School Uniform

The reason for our school uniform is to ensure that our children are identified as students who belong to the community of St. Peter’s. When some students continually ignore aspects of the uniform policy, this can cause resentment and disharmony for other students and families. I ask parents to be encouraging and supportive in your role so that the school uniform is respected and adhered to and that there is a strong level of equality and fairness in the management of the uniform protocol.

From next Monday 11th May (Week 4) all children are expected to be in Winter Uniform.

Dogs Connect Program Update

The school has made the decision to conclude our involvement with the Dogs Connect program. As part of this transition, Wednesday 6th May will be Oreo’s final day at school. We will be taking time at the end of the day to farewell Oreo and acknowledge the positive moments he has shared with our students.

We understand that many children have formed a connection with Oreo, and staff will support students through this change. If families have any questions or would like further clarification, please feel free to contact the school.

Parents to Help Their Child Become a Reader!

Read with your child every day

Set up a dedicated reading area at home
Introduce reading materials in your home covering subjects that interest your child.
Have your child help you make or assemble something that interests them, and have them read the instructions, follow the recipe etc.
Going on holiday or seen a place of interest in a magazine or on television? Help your child find out more about a possible holiday destination through books, the internet, maps etc.
Visit the local library and get a borrower’s card.

According to Clark and Rumbold, ‘Students who choose what they read and have an informal environment in which to read tend to be more motivated, read more and show greater language and literacy development.’

Warm regards,

Paul Bissinella

Acting Principal

St Peter's Newsblast

NEWSBLAST – Pupil Free Day Tuesday 5th May