From our Principal

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

This newsletter is the last edition of the term and whilst Lent continues and Easter is still two weeks away, I wish everyone Easter blessings. I hope all can experience the joy of the Risen Christ in their lives during this Easter period. May we all be renewed by the message of the resurrection story.

Lent

I was out walking this past weekend. The sun and heat of summer had been replaced by the fresh winds and cloud-filled skies of autumn and I was constantly drawn to the leaves in the trees, turning the autumnal colours of yellow and red. It gave me cause to reflect on the meaning of lent and how the season of autumn aligns itself readily with the most significant season in the Church’s calendar. Jim Quillinan provides us with some writing on just this comparison:

Life has its seasons. Autumn is a time for letting go, accepting that all things do not last forever. Life has its moments of surrender, its moments of waiting in hope, its moments of accepting the new with courage and faith in a loving God.

Autumn is the season that encourages us to discover what needs to be left behind and what needs to be carried into the future, holding on to the things that have given me life and releasing things that have been a burden, that which may be holding me back, the things that have outlived their purpose. Sometimes we can resist changes: we want to keep things as they are. Autumn reminds us that change is an essential part of nature. It is always with us. We can be afraid of the unknown, afraid of the new adventures that God has in store for us. Autumn encourages us to enter the stillness, to wait patiently and not to struggle to control but rather to wait patiently for clarity and wisdom.

Autumn is a time of endings, perhaps a time tingled with melancholy as we look to what is ending in nature and remind ourselves that our time is limited. It a time designed to help us to tell our own story; to rejoice in the time we have been given, to look again at the colours of our own stories and adventures and to wonder at their meaning and purpose. As we look at the lesson of Creation, we come to realise that death leads to rebirth, to new beginnings, that with death life is changed, not ended. Autumn is a time of hope.

Autumn is a time of letting go – Lent is a time of letting go

Autumn is the season that encourages us to discover what needs to be left behind and what needs to be carried into the future – Lent provides the opportunity for us to reflect on this

Autumn reminds us that change is an essential part of nature – Lent reminds us that change is an important part of life

Autumn encourages us to enter the stillness, to wait patiently and not to struggle to control but rather to wait patiently for clarity and wisdom – Lent provides us with the opportunity to be still

Autumn is a time of endings – Lent is a time of endings (and new beginnings)

Autumn is a time of hope – Lent is a time of hope

Parent Teacher Interview

It was wonderful to see so many parents, students and teachers engaged in learning conversations. I couldn’t help but reflect on the old age adage, it takes a village to raise a child. The richness of the conversations is dependent on the engagement level of all three partners and should not end at the conclusion of the interview. The partnership is year/s long in the making and requires ongoing nourishing to remain fruitful. Please don’t hesitate to make contact with teachers that you may not have had the chance to catch-up with this time around or to continue the conversations commenced during this term’s interviews

Mobile Phone Survey

St. Peter’s College has been grappling with the issue of mobile phones and their impact, both in the classroom and from a well-being perspective. We are embarking on an investigation of the impact of mobile phones and as such our beginning point is to seek input from parents, students and staff. In the coming days all parents, students and staff will receive an email inviting them to participate in an on-line survey. There are only four questions to consider. We ask all community members to have their say. The results will be step one in formulating a mobile phone policy.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Senior SIS soccer team – Clyde Nth for bringing home the premiership pennant last week. A dominating performance throughout the term led to the ultimate prize. Well done to both coach Scammell and the team.

Wishing you all a wonderful break

Mr Chris Black

Principal