From our Principal
Dear Parents, Students and Friends,
Welcome back
It has been wonderful to have 50% of our students back amongst us over the past fortnight and we look forward to welcoming the remaining levels next week. When we refer to school it is often followed by the term community. This year community has taken a back seat or at the very least has appeared as a different version (through means of a screen) of itself. Community has some essential core ingredients including: sharing something in common and in this case, it is learning; care about what they have in common, in other words care about how well they learn and care about each other. The core ingredient of building a community is the development and nourishing of healthy relationships. Over the coming weeks a focus must be and is to be on reconnection and restoration of positive relationships and we so look forward in anticipation of our St. Peter’s College community joining together once more.
St. Peter’s College strives and prides itself on being a welcoming community. Last week and next week will provide us with unique opportunities to re-engage as a community through that common purpose called learning. Learning which has forever changed. Looking at a glass half full approach questions can, will and are being asked around, “what were the essential learnings undertaken in the delivery of learning and teaching during this time?” and, “which of these learnings will enhance the engagement of students when they come back into our classroom. As importantly, what have we learnt to do without. The shape of education has changed and our students, both current and future will be the beneficiaries.
Farewell to Yr 12s
Our whole school community come back together just in time to farewell our Yr 12s as they leave us next week. I met up with our 12s on both campuses this week. In part it was an opportunity to say thank-you for the manner in which they have managed this difficult year, a year where some of their traditional rites of passage were not made available to them. It was a chance for me to articulate our set of expectations around their final days. I feel supremely confident that this group of students will respect the legacy laid out by previous graduating classes, a legacy founded on a deep sense of mutual respect. This year we will be bringing the graduation ceremony to the homes of parents and families to respond to our current restrictions on parents not permitted on campus. By no design of their own this group of Year 12s have learnt a new set of skills around being agile and resilient to meet the ever-changing demands of 2020. These same skills are required for success beyond the gates of St. Peter’s College in the pathways they choose to take. My blessing to the class of 2020 is:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home,
And may the land of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
VCAL Presentation Evenings
This week were inspired by the work of our Yr 12 VCAL students. Over the course of this year the students undertook a number of projects to demonstrate competency around a number of important learning competencies. Their final assessment piece was to present to both their parents and teachers their learnings throughout the year. The students were impressive both in the manner in which they delivered their body of work and in the projects they undertook throughout the year.
Congratulations VCAL Class of 2020.
High Achiever
Congratulations to Devmika Bogahapitiya Lekamalage (Year 7, GLE) for recently winning a local creative writing competition. Below is that story, titled: “Echoes of the Murray”. Enjoy the read and congratulations once again to Devmika.
Creative Writing Finalists Years 7 – 9
FIRST PLACE AWARD WINNER
“Echoes of the Murray”
Devmika Bogahapitiya Lekamalage
St. Peter’s College – Cranbourne Campus Yr 7 GLE
The waves of the Murray and the sound of the bush echoes through my body. I am following my great grandfathers’ journey to the ancestral cave that runs through my blood. The muddy, but picturesque water is a dream for me, the trees of the river makes me become awestruck. A paddle steamer trundles down the expansive river, for its final round ferrying the tourists who have come to view to utmost beauty of the river. The clouds overhead, feels so wonderful, and watching the golden ray set down before them is what anyone can ask for. Slowly as day turns into night, I hear the dingoes howling, the crickets chirping and the possums bounding about. The cockatoos are going to bed, while the night parrot is just waking up. The sounds of all the animals combined with the Murray are just like, heaven. The cool summer air whips up my hair, dishevelling it. Then I see a fire in the distance, with its red and yellow fire and the smoky wood burning smell is just like being in a fantasy world.
The fish that are living and jumping up and down in the water are being caught for food, and then being charcoaled. The smell of that is like a desire for me to cook and eat, but that reminds me of my grandmother’s damper, cooking on the fire alongside the river. The stone table near the fire, filled with bush bread, pieces of charcoaled kangaroo, roasted Murray fish, kutjera, finger lime, wild berries and roasted macadamia. All of that my great aunties and uncles gathering around the table waiting for me to arrive. The sandalwood oil smell mixed with smoky wood fire that wafts up to my nose recalls my ancestors’ lives smell. I am following it to the cave. I follow the sandalwood scent, passing wild figs, wiry wire, and green plum trees along the way. The aroma they provide me is fresh and leads me to a paradise that is filled with happiness. I pass, koalas high upon their trees eating a lot of eucalyptus leaves, wallabies bounding along, kangaroos following them on.
Wombats ambling beside me, their brown coats relaxing when I touch it. I pass more eucalyptus trees as well as seeing ripe bush tomatoes and golden wattle going around the bush. Finally, the sandalwood smell stops and I find myself in front of a stone cave. “Could this be it” I wonder and slowly walk inside it. To my amazement I see a vivid collection of artworks depicting, history again. The walls of the inside are covered top to bottom, and side to side with works that can be exhibited as museum exhibit. There are also wood carvings of my totem pole of the long-necked turtle which brings such peacefulness over me and calms me down. The stories shown on the walls are so meaningful to me that I see myself staring the walls in front of examining every part of the lovely works of art. The wood carvings are very, authentic when touching it is made with a rustic touch to it. The dot paintings are so charming with, the red, yellow, white and black pains covering the walls. Showing dreamtime depictions, I am immediately of the world of how Australia came to be. The animals and the plants are so mind-blowing as well as mind charming too.
Slowly and slowly I become more and more aware of my heritage which goes back hundreds of years, to when the world began. The sand paintings are so rich in colour but mostly in culture, with this being a common ritual even to this day. I try my best not to step anywhere near it as; one step can ruin the whole thing and can ruin a piece of important Australian culture. I am wowed by the vivid and vibrant texture to this cave, but I am mainly impressed with the culture and the history inside this cave. I feel at home in this very cave as my heritage and history is inside it, but most of all I belong here, in this very cave, where I can call home.
Enjoy the week ahead and Go Tiges!
Mr Chris Black
Principal