From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Last week we farewelled our colleague, teacher and friend Jim Constantinou who passed away on 12 July 2022. Jim was remembered by family as passionate, caring, compassionate, gentle and patient. These same qualities were witnessed each day he engaged with staff and students at St. Peter’s College. His devotion to family was tangible and his love of teaching was evident.

When recently speaking with his wife Andrea she was gaining great comfort from the following reflection: 

“Death is nothing at all,

I have only slipped into the next room

I am I and you are you

Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by my old familiar name,

Speak to me in the easy way which you always used

Put no difference in your tone,

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household world that it always was,

Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It it the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,

Just around the corner.

All is well. ”

― Henry Scott Holland

RIP – Jim Constantinou

Pursuit of Excellence

The Pursuit of excellence awards are presented each year, at this time, to acknowledge our Year 12 students who, based on Unit 3 results are showing evidence of a pursuit of excellence. These awards are designed to encourage further advancement of the attitude, effort and achievement which has led them to be designated a “Pursuit of Excellence” student. Their names will now appear on our honour board and will be motivation for them for the remainder of this year. It acknowledges their efforts to date but also acts as motivation to strive to even higher standards.  The message for other Year 12s is also clear, it’s not too late to achieve excellence in your outcomes, after all it is a marathon, not a sprint.

Congratulations to the following Pursuit of Excellence awardees for 2022:

Graduate Outcomes

On Day 1 of Term 3, staff were posed the following question, “The class of 2022 came back to St. Peter’s College for a 20 Year Reunion, what would we hope the group spoke to in relation to the learnings they gained from St. Peter’s College which positively contributed to the person they have become in the year 2042”. The question prompted a deal of discussion on the graduate outcomes we aspire for each student as they leave the gates of St. Peter’s College for the last time, this culminated in a set of six outcomes. They are listed below:

St. Peter’s College is committed to inspiring our graduates to: 

1. Appreciate the value of participating actively in a faith-filled community
2. Serve their community and the wider world as Christ did, in thought, word and deed
3. Be hope-filled and resilient in facing life’s challenges  
4. Be literate, numerate and technologically competent as effective global citizens
5. Act creatively, communicate effectively, think critically and collaborate widely as life-long learners
6. Be agents of change inspired by the ROCKS of St. Peter’s College - to be respectful, organised, collaborative, kind and safe

Child Safety

I have written previously regarding St. Peter’s College commitment to Child Safety. On 1 July a set of eleven revised Child Safe Standards replaced the previous seven standards. A significant body of work is currently being undertaken as we review current practices and ensure alignment with the revised standards. In the coming weeks a number of foundational documents will be presented to you both in this forum and on our web-site. In the meantime the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria has presented a revised commitment to Child Safety. The following link provides you with access to this statement.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Mr Chris Black

Principal