From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Last week we celebrated the final school assembly for 2022. I was quick to point out to students that the year has not concluded. Quite the opposite was the message as we commenced the 2023 academic year. This assembly was much about reflecting back on the year that was, and celebrating the achievements. It was also about formally recognising our College Student Leaders for 2023 and recalibrating student’s mindset as they commenced their formal academic year.

In the assembly I asked students to reflect on, based on their work in 2022, the following questions:

• Rate yourself in respect to your efforts in class
• Rate yourself in respect to your contribution to house and whole school events
• Rate yourself in respect to how well you have lived out our ROCKS in your approach to your learning in 2022

Student self-assessment on each of these questions is critical. If student’s have honestly assessed themselves on each of these questions, it provides them with the platform to strive for improvement. Students have in fact in this exercise set the bar from which improvement in self and their learning is derived from. I encourage parents to complete the same exercise with your son and/or daughter. It could be the beginning of a very interesting conversation.

Students were challenged to reflect on some recent words from Pope Francis:

• Do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from failing
• Remember that being happy is not having a sky without storm, a job without effort
• To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your own fate
• Being happy is letting the creature that lives in each of us live, free, joyful and simple It’s in having the maturity to be able to say: "I've made mistakes". It's having the courage to say I'm sorry
• Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor. Use pain to tune into pleasure. Use obstacles to open the windows of intelligence. Never give up.... Above all never give up

Students, from all reports are tackling Headstart with a can-do attitude which is all we can ask

Year 12 Retreat

Our 2023 class of Year 12 attended their final retreat this week. The retreat itself is critical in bonding the group together ahead of their challenging final year. Anecdotally I have found over the years that the closer the group is and combining this with a must do/can do attitude, the more successful the group will be in meeting their own and the College’s expectations. The retreat is also significant in enabling students to reflect on their faith journey so far and how it can continue to be significant as they enter their final year of secondary education and then beyond. As a priest once said to me you don’t leave the Church when schooling in a secondary Catholic school ends, it is in fact the beginning of a new beautiful new journey.

Presentation Day

Next week we will be hosting two daytime Presentation ceremonies. These Presentation events are important in recognising the talents and achievements of students across the areas of academic excellence, academic endeavour, House Spirit and involvement and lastly outstanding contributions to the College. It is a celebration of the many talents residing in the students of St. Peter’s College.

These campus-based events will be held in our new Performing Arts Centre, the Geode Centre. An invitation will be extended to parents whose son or daughter is to be presented with an award on the day. Recognising the difficulties parents might have with attendance during the day, the event will be recorded with the link distributed after the event.

High Achievers

Congratulations also to the following high achievers who have been successful in gaining entry into the prestigious Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars program in 2023.

• Avreet Kaur
• Azaria Schwalger

Congratulations to Ranya Gollen of Year 8 who was judged as presenting the most outstanding Christmas Card design in the recent Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Christmas Card competition.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Mr Chris Black

Principal