From our Principal

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Enjoy the latest edition of our newsletter.

Student Leaders announced

Last week the focus on student leadership was on speeches and interviews. One of the welcome additions over the past two processes has been the inclusion in the interview process of the current student leaders. So in the instance of the female College Captain, the current School Captain sits on the panel. This is a valuable experience for the incumbent student leader and from the college’s perspective provides valuable insights to the discernment process. It’s a win-win. This week we excitedly announce the successful student leaders who form the Student Executive for 2020. They are:

Leadership Position            Clyde North Campus                              Cranbourne Campus

College Captains                     Sophie Lingaya & Jaden Ward              Talia Parker & Brendon Quintall

Liturgy Captain                        Ashley Beley                                                 Gabrielle Hill

Social Justice Captain          Shruti Naushad                                           Mia Clauscen

Arts Captain                              Jessica Bravo                                                Ruby Smith

Environment Captain           Aaron Suaisa                                                 Joshua Bennett

Sports Captains                      Rochelle Datson & Joshua Butler         Talya Cunnington & Matthew Phillips

Congratulations to all who presented themselves to the college community. You made a clear statement that you are ready to serve. The motto of “Be Not Afraid” is evidenced in each and every one who put up their hand. Leadership is on display for everyone to see when you elect to put yourself forward. Congratulations to our successful candidates, we look forward to your contributions and leadership. For our unsuccessfuls, the opportunity for leadership still exists in the form of House Captains and Forum Leaders. It is also important to highlight that leadership is not about a title but what we do the serve others and, in this case, service the community of St Peter’s College. What was evidenced through this process was that we have many leaders who are ready and willing to lead and serve.

Year 10 Reunion

I was privileged to join with 35 past students as they came together to celebrate their 10 year reunion last Saturday night. These are wonderful occasions as they are often marked, as was the case with this event, with much reminiscing. Central to many of their conversations was the relationships they had with teachers. It is a reminder just how important and what impact can be had with positive staff-student relationships. What was also obvious was the love they had for their St. Peter’s College experience and how much this experience has shaped their lives. It was a moment to reflect on the privilege of helping shape the young who enter our gates as children and leave as adults ready to face the world.

Parent Teacher Student Interviews

It was wonderful to see so many parents and students in dialogue about learning this week during our Parent-Teacher interviews. The litmus test of an effective Parent–Teacher-Student interview is when observing the student participating in the conversation, or even better leading the conversation about their learning. Parent-Teacher-Student conversations should not just occur at these dedicated times. The invitation is always present to have these conversations whenever the need arises. Most importantly they shouldn’t be occurring only when there is a problem.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Mr Chris Black

Principal