From our Principal
Dear Parents, Students and Friends,
Catholic Education Week
Welcome to Catholic Education Week, the theme of which is….’Listen to what the Spirit is saying’.
Listening is a skill that requires attention. It is my belief that it is one of the hardest skills to perform when, for many of us, we are engaged with a multitude of conversations in any given day. Active listening enables us to explore ideas and viewpoints which perhaps we hadn’t considered. It is hard though isn’t, particularly when our view might be counter to the one being expressed. The task of listening is even greater when we are challenged to listen to what the Spirit is saying. How do we do that?
At St. Peter’s College, students are called to listen to what the Spirit is saying in the actions they are asked to perform each day. When they are engaging in communion with each other, in their actions and in their words. The scripture states, “and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13. We are all called by the Spirit to “love”, we are called as the community of St. Peter’s College to “love”. To Act justly, Love tenderly and to Walk humbly with our God. Micah 6:8
Events organised to recognise and celebrate Catholic Education Week included: the launch of Breakfast club on the Clyde Nth campus, recess and lunch-time activities each day organised by the Yr 11 Youth ministry classes, a morning tea to recognise the fine work of our staff and for our Youth ministry classes a journey down to Traralgon for a gathering of secondary school students in our Diocese. Catholic Education week will conclude with school leaders and some staff attending mass with the St. Thomas the Apostle parish this coming Sunday at 10.45am. All welcome.
SIS Success
Congratulations to our SIS Cross-country team who competed in the Division 2 inter-school competition this week. Outstanding success was achieved with the team coming in 1st place.
Speaking of success, congratulations is extended to Tom Ryan who placed second this week in the Victorian Secondary Schools Golf championships. This was an exceptional achievement considering the talent on display. Tom scored a 6 over 78.
We also wish twins, Mitchell and Blake Keel who next week will be competing in the pairs of the Under 18 Australian Lawn Bowls Competition in Queensland. Good luck to you both.
11 Benefits of Reading
Continuing on our theme of improving student learning outcomes, I came across some research the other day that spoke of the enormous benefits of reading. You might recall I encouraged all students to read for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Parents can play an enormous role in supporting your child through encouragement, taking them to the local library, taking them to the bookstore or even by modelling good reading habits yourselves. The following is a summary of the benefits of reading:
- Improves concentration
- Improves memory
- Enables discovery of other parts of the world
- Exercises the brain
- Boosts critical thinking
- Develops empathy
- Develops and expands language skills
- Enhances imagination
- Enhances performance at school
- Is a source of entertainment (away from screen-time)
- Develops a good self-image
Annual Report
Each year St. Peter’s College along with all schools is required to present to the school community an Annual Report. This can be accessed via the following link on our website. A hard copy can also be found in the parent foyer of each campus.
Condolences
On behalf of the College community I wish to express heartfelt condolences to Fr Denis O’Bryan with the passing last Sunday morning of his brother Kevin. Our thoughts and prayers are with him during this time of loss.
Grant Kevin Eternal Rest, O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
Amen.
Enjoy the week ahead, and stay warm.
Mr Chris Black
Principal