ST PETER S CATHOLIC PARISH PRIMARY SCHOOL 29th June 2018 Week 11 To the St Peter s community, today, the Catholic Church throughout the world celebrates the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, pillars of the Church. Over time, these two men, due to their great missionary activity among the gentile world, became the image of unity for the Catholic Church. Peter s journey was from the weakness of denial to the rock of fidelity. He gave us the ultimate witness of the cross. Paul s pilgrimage was from the blindness of persecution to the fire of proclamation. He made the Word of God come alive for the nations. Let us recall that before these saints were shepherds and apostles, they were sheep and disciples. God was able to do great things in them and through them because they made a decision to surrender control of their lives and destiny to Jesus. Jesus says follow me to each of us. It may mean making a change of career or adopting new habits. It may mean breaking off a friendship that is leading us away from Christ. Or it may just mean doing what we are already doing but for an entirely different reason...achieving great things not to draw attention to ourselves, but to glorify Christ... seeking an intimate relationship, no longer to take, but to give... working not for the weekend, but for the kingdom. Peter is among the first of those called by Jesus: a fisher of Bethsaida on the lake of Tiberias. Generous and impulsive, Peter responded at once to Jesus call to follow him. Always close to Jesus, Peter, was the first to claim faith in Jesus as Messiah. Jesus, recognized his disciple Simon Peter as a rock, on whose faith the community of the Church could find a foundation. Peter, called blessed by Jesus and declared to be a solid rock, capable of confirming the disciples faith, was not exempt from making mistakes and failing his Lord. Peter s example gives us hope in our own ability to keep working on our relationship with God, He won t give up on us, so we shouldn t give up on ourselves either. On this great feast of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, let us pray for the unity of the Church, that through a greater knowledge, appreciation, and love of each other, we may realize in our day desire of Christ: that His people may be one Almighty God, grant that we, your Church, are inspired by the teachings of the blessed apostles St Peter and St Paul and are made one by your Spirit. May we listen to the call you make to each of us and be ready to do what you ask; send us your Spirit to give us the courage and wisdom to recognise what that is. Amen. I will be on long service leave through the first half of next term; during this time Julie Percy will be Acting Principal and Emma Canning, Acting Deputy, I know that the school will be it great hands and wish you all a wonderful and safe term holiday. Kerry Miller Principal ADMINISTRATION Notices: DATES TO REMEMBER First Day Of Term 3 Monday 16th July Deborah Racina - Director of First Impressions office@stprepp.catholic.edu.au EDUCATION IN FAITH Middle School In the Middle School we have started exploring our new Faith Inquiry Unit, Our World, Our Responsibility. Our provocation is; Does this happen in Melbourne? Through this unit we are exploring different social justice issues and will then make plans for action to support organisational groups that work with people in our community. We will be posting videos, photos or questions that we explore on our Middle School Blog http://middleschoolstpeters.global2.vic.edu.au/ throughout our learning in this inquiry. Take some time to explore these with your child and comment about your discussions or wonderings.
St Peter s Day Once again we have seen our children Prep - 6 display dispositions of respect, inquisitive and collaboration. They collaborated together to celebrate in what St peter is all about and what the symbols of St peter are It is always a pleasure to sew the children working together across levels, sharing their knowledge, their understandings and their values with each other. Such an amazing experience to be part of. LEARNING & TEACHING Academic Reports Yesterday students received their Semester One Report. Parents are most welcome to meet with level staff at any time during the year to discuss their child s progress. This is done by making an appointment at a mutually convenient time with any one of the teachers from your child s learning space. Our school provides a wide range of reporting formats, to ensure families have many opportunities to understand their child s learning. Semester Reports align with the Victorian Curriculum. These are sent home at the end of term two and four and present a snapshot of the child s learning, they are just one component of our reporting package and should be viewed as such. Student learning is shared with families in a much more detailed and authentic manner via StoryPark and Student Led Learning Conversations, Professional Learning at St Peter s Over 4 days a group of staff members have been working with Growth Coaching in upskilling themselves in coaching. Coaching and mentoring in schools is now recognised as a key ingredient in school improvement and an important way to build teaching and learning capacity, develop leadership capability and, ultimately, to improve student learning outcomes and wellbeing. The staff found this very valuable and look forward to using the skills throughout the school. Julie Percy - Director of Learning & Teaching juliep@stprepp.catholic.edu.au
SCHOOL COMMUNITY Walk A Thon Well done to all who supported our school Walk A Thon. The total raised was $9171.10. What an amazing effort! All funds raised will go towards upgrading our outdoor spaces. Free E-waste Recycling Drop Off Event To get rid of your unwanted small household electrical items in an environmentally friendly way, bring them to this Free E-waste Recycling Drop Off event. Date: Friday, 13th July 2018 Time: 11am until 1pm Location: Epping Football Grounds, Corner High & Park Streets, Epping What WILL be accepted on the day: Any small household electrical or electronic items with a cord or battery, for example: computers, televisions, vacuum cleaners, printers, toasters, hair dryers, video and DVD players, hi-fi equipment, stereo equipment, digital cameras and video cameras. What will NOT be accepted on the day: Any whitegoods - refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers and microwaves. Solar panels For more information, contact Council s Resource Recovery Officer on 9401 0579 or email wasterecycling@whittlesea.vic.gov.au Emma Canning - Director of School Community ecanning@stprepp.catholic.edu.au STUDENT WELLBEING Junior News As the last week of Term has approached, the Juniors have been working on making someone's day better by using their kinds words. They have also been working hard to make sure they interact safely with one another, using kind hands and feet. They have recognised what it feels like to receive compliments and have their successes celebrated by others, and are trying hard to make others feel the same way. We are so proud of all that the Junior students have achieved in Term 2, and can't wait to see what they bring to the remaining two terms. Happy holidays! Term 3 ASD Parent / Guardian Peer Support Group T ransition Pathways for Students with Autism Spectrum You are invited to an evening with Victoria Houchin: Victoria is the Employment Coordinator for Aspect Capable NSW & VIC which is the employment service for Autism Spectrum Australia. This presentation will focus on the NDIS and how to secure funding for employment including the process for applying for school leaver employment support. Victoria will also discuss the Aspect Capable school leaver/young adult transition to employment programs. There will then be adequate time dedicated for Q&A. DATE: Thursday July 26 TIME: 7.15pm (for 7.30pm start) VENUE: Nash Learning Centre, Bundoora Campus RSVP: by Friday July 20th to Cheema Brondolino on 9468 3344 or cbrondolino@parade.vic.edu.au Jackie Fleischmann - Director of Student Wellbeing jfleischmann@stprepp.catholic.edu.au