From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Welcome to the new school year and a special welcome to our new families. For those who are joining our college community for the first time we sincerely hope that you find all that you wish for and more in the offerings provided for you and your child at St Peter’s College. It is a new year and the energy, enthusiasm and genuine happiness displayed by both staff and students is tangible and worth bottling. It is important that all consider the year as a marathon and not a sprint and to that end all need to consider ways and means to ensure energy levels and a commitment to studies remain constant and consistently high throughout the year. On that note, research states that high attendance rates are critical to ensure students learning growth is optimised. Much has been documented under the theme “Attendance Matters”, though it can all be summed up in the following statement: “the effects of non-attendance on achievement are cumulative and can impact both academic achievement and attendance in future years of schooling” – Hancock et al., 2013;Zubrick, 2014. So as the school routines for the year begin to consolidate, I call on parents to support your child’s learning progress by ensuring attendance at school is prioritised.  

Our mission statement, in part, states that we encourage all young people to aspire to meet their true potential in all that they undertake and, in doing so, make a difference to others they meet in life’s journey. This is guided by a belief that we are all life-long learners and is inspired by Jesus’words to Peter, ‘Be Not Afraid’. The academic year 2024, a new year, is an opportunity for new beginnings, yet the narrative remains the same, we journey together in hope and we seek from all to be courageous in their learning and to be vulnerable in their learning which includes being prepared to make mistakes in their learning for it is in making mistakes that we are provided with a greater opportunity to learn.  Our motto for learning in 2024 is captured in the following statement:

“If we create a culture where every student believes they can improve, not because they are not good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what can be achieved.”

Welcome to new staff

This week at our Opening School Mass, where we officially blessed and launched our 2024 academic year we had the opportunity to welcome our new staff for 2024. 

They include:

New Staff with Positions of Leadership

Jennifer Bleakley – Teacher Librarian (Cross Campus)

Hannah Fisher – House Leader (Clyde North)

Cherie McSweeney – House Leader (Clyde North)

Michelle Simpson – ICT Coach (Cranbourne)

Matthew Van der Velden – Religious Education Coach (Clyde North)

As well as the following new staff: Aleena Abraham, Brianna Al Hussein, Melanie Bell, Moksha Bhatt, Austin Brady, Maya Daniels, Bianca Dodgson, Jason Dingli, Sandra Dinsdale, Susan Duchesne,Sima Ebrahimi, Kaya Emre, Paul Everitt, Renee Halli, Mikayla Hardy, Kristy Galea, Joshua Halliday, Harpreet Kaur, Collette Lark, Christina Lobo, Karyn Maree, Kylie McMellon, Thomas McTaggert, Sonia Mortimer, Rachel Murray, Josh Parkinson, Samanthi Perera, Emily Roberts, Georgia Ryalls, Bernard Silva, Genevieve Storey, Dominique Teague, Georgia Tsiagalos and Ben You.

We also welcome back: Sarah Constantine, April Hampson, Glenys Van Dorssen and Karen Williams 

Contained within this edition is the complete list of staff, their role/s and qualifications. 

Please click here for list.

For new parents and a reminder for existing parents, I have provided, in addition to the complete staff list, a list of contact points (see below) of who you should access for what purpose. I would encourage you to screen shot this list for future reference.

Priorities 2024

Each year a set of learning priorities is established by the College. This process involves all staff to establish strategies which are evidence-based and informed by an analysis of our own student outcomes. This year, whilst a number of strategies have been established, three stand above all others as being the priority. They are:

1. Collaborative Teaching Team’s successfully implement differentiation and one otherselected High Impact Teaching strategy into teacher practice.

2. Lesson routines are created and consistently applied in every classroom.

3. The provision of professional learning (via various mediums including meeting schedule,optional sessions, and shared literature) is informing teacher practice in the classroom.

Our goal primarily in 2024 is to prioritise improving student confidence in their learning, ultimately leading to improved student outcomes.  I look forward to observing these improvements in the learning opportunities presented throughout this year.

Sad News

It was with a heavy heart that we heard this week of Jona Kinivuwai who is missing presumed drowned after being dragged out to sea at Rye back beach last Sunday.  Jona graduated from our Clyde North campus in 2021. A member of MacKillop House, Jona was a gentle soul who thrived in our VCAL program. Our hearts and prayers are extended to his family and friends.

Mr Chris Black

Principal