St Peter's News

From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

I came across this prayer recently which had as its foundations the Stations of the Cross. Traditionally during Lent in the Catholic church families are invited to reflect on the 14 stations which commemorate Christ’s last day on earth. This particular depiction weaves the trials and tribulations of our modern world where war, displacement of peoples and climate change are constant reminders that we continue to fail. Christ’s teachings though provide us all with the opportunity to embrace the teachings of Christ that speak at their very core of Faith, Hope and Love, with the most important one being love. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be held for the people of Ukraine.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, today we join you in your Passion, accompanying you through your greatest trial. Grant us the courage to keep our eyes open, our ears listening, and our senses aware of what you experience. May we recognize how your Passion continues in the plight of our sisters and brothers who seek refuge during these unsettling times, fleeing violence, conflict, persecution, and environmental destruction. May we stay by your side, even if we fall with you. Animate our steps with your love and hope, although we may not be certain where the journey will end. Remove all fear and help us to become aware of your presence in all things. Amen

School Review

As mentioned in the previous edition of this publication St. Peter’s College is undergoing its cyclical School Review. This week we have had a number of educators and educational leaders exploring our achievements of the last 4 years, our areas of growth and also those goals yet to be realised. The forum they will predominantly utilise is by interviewing all key stakeholders. Of significant interest in this process will be the outcomes of the interviews with students. The findings from this process will set us up for the next part of the process, our priorities for the next four years, commonly known as a School Improvement Plan. This process provides a very rich and purposeful opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved but more importantly it will provide the launchpad to ask: “…what’s next.”

Reporting

Next week parents will receive their child’s interim reports. The structure and purpose of these is to report to you on the Learning Behaviours demonstrated by students over the first part of the school year. The identified and reported on behaviours align with our commitment to a Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour. Commonly known as ROCKS – Respect, Organisation, Collaboration, Kindness and Safety, students’ reports will reflect the level of attainment of these behaviours demonstrated consistently or otherwise in the classroom. These parameters have been identified as core behaviours for all students to be effective learners in the classroom. These behaviours include:

  • Listening to the thoughts and opinions of others (Respect)
  • Arriving to class on time with the required equipment (Organisation)
  • Meeting all deadlines and due dates (Organisation)
  • Collaborating and communicating positivity when working in groups (Collaboration)
  • Allowing everyone to learn (Kindness)
  • Following staff instructions (Safety)

Subsequent to the publishing of these interim reports Student Learning Conversations will follow and are scheduled to occur at the beginning of Term 2. Further information will follow regarding the process for this year. Below however are the Parent-Teacher interview dates for you to help with your planning.

Student Learning Conversation Dates – Save these dates:

  • 28 April 2022  – On Campus
  • 2 May 2022 – Virtual

Harmony Day

Held annually Harmony Day is a celebration of the many cultural backgrounds present within our own community. The collective ethnic backgrounds existing at St. Peter’s College provide a rich tapestry from which to draw upon. The day is celebrated with cultural food, costumes and performances. St. Peter’s College is blessed to be a community which embraces students and their families from many and varied cultures. The 2016 Census Data reveals the following:

  • nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was
  • we identify with over 300 ancestries
  • since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia
  • 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia
  • apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi
  • more than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia

These statistics are very reflective of our own demographics. Our profile includes students born in 44 countries other than Australia. Our multi-cultural community is not unique but what is special about St. Peter’s College is that we are welcoming of all. This gives us our identity and sends a message loud and clear that each of us is built in the image of God, that we are called, each and every day to, love our neighbour as ourselves. As a faith-filled learning community our calling is to embrace all who cross our paths. We look forward to a wonderful celebration of ethnic diversity on Tuesday, 29 March 2022.

Enjoy the week ahead

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Chris Black

Principal