Welcome to St Peter's Maitland!

St Peter’s Campus is a Catholic, co-educational, Years 7-10 systemic school within the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. Three campuses make up All Saints College: St Peter’s at Maitland, St Joseph’s at Lochinvar, and St Mary’s at Maitland. St Peter's Campus and St Joseph's Campus are Years 7-10 schools, St Mary's is the senior campus for students in Years 11 and 12.

St Peter's Calendar

(This Calendar only includes significant whole school items. Students are advised to refer to their Term Planner for more specific information relating to their year group.)

2012

Term 1

Week 1 Term 1 (23rd January - 27th January)
Monday 23rd January Office Open 9.00am-3.00pm
Tuesday 24th January Office Open 9.00am-3.00pm
Wednesday 25th January Office Open 9.00am-3.00pm
Thursday 26th January Australia Day - Office Closed
Friday 27th January Staff return -Office Open 11.30-3.00pm

Week 2 Term 1 (30th January - 3rd February)
Monday 30th January Year 7 commence (with Peer Support Leaders)
Tuesday 31st January Year 8-10 resume

Week 3 Term 1 (6th February - 10th February)
Monday 6th February Opening Liturgy and Commisioning of Leaders
Monday 6th February Year Ten Laptop Rollout Meeting 1
Tuesday 7th February Year Ten Laptop Rollout Meeting 2
Wednesday 8th Feberuary Year 7 Community Day
Wednesday 8th February 5.00pm Year 7 P&F Welcome BBQ
Thursday 9th February Year Ten Laptop Trainign Day

Other significant dates in Term One
Wednesday 15th February School Photos
Thursday 16th February Swimming Carnival
Tuesday 21st February Year 7 & 10 Immunisations
Monday 27th February-Wednesday 29th February Year 7 Camp Group 1
Wednesday 29th February - Friday 2nd March Year 7 Camp Group 2
Friday 16th March Athletics Carnival
Monday 19th March Pupil Free Day (Staff Restorative Justice Training)
Thursday 29th March Parent Teacher Interviews Session One 4-8pm
Monday 2nd April Pupil Free Day - Parent Teacher Interviews Session Two 2pm -8pm

Principal's Noticeboard

 

2012 School Uniform (updated 24th January 12.30pm)
During 2011, in consultation with the P&F, the three campuses of All Saints College elected to adopt Alinta as the college uniform supplier. This decision was taken after consultation with the Catholic Schools Office and several high schools in the Diocese who currently use Alinta as their supplier.

Alinta have been excellent to deal with throughout the transition and we look forward to working with them. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts and planning, there have been delays in the supply of some garments due to higher than anticipated sales in some sizes. Please rest assured that Alinta are working to address the shortfall as a matter of urgency. Alinta have assured the school that all students will have at least one of each garment, prior to the commencement of school, with any additional garments being placed on backorder. Further stock will be delivered by Friday to ensure this. The exception to this will be the Girls Skirt in size J10. Alinta are currently working to ensure that these skirts are in stock as soon as possible. Until this time girls without the skirt are advised to wear their sports uniform each day.

We apologise for any inconvenience that this is causing.

The uniform Shop will be open from 8am-12pm and 1pm-4pm Tuesday 24th, Wednesday 25th and Friday 27th January. For further details please contact Alinta directly on 02 43210433.

 

2012 School Leaders Announced (Added 24th November)
On Wednesday, at the final Year 10 assembly, the light of leadership was passed from our 2011 leaders to our new 2012 school leaders.  Congratulations to:
Rebecca Treloar       Montana Beavis     Adam Neville      Cormack O’Connor
on being elected as 2012 School leaders. 

We wish these students every success as they undertake the role of significant role of School Leader and trust that they will uphold the values of the school community and represent the school with pride, respect and integrity.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing 2011 school leaders for the wonderful contribution they made to our school community.  They have left big shoes to fill.

Year Ten Rite of Passage (Added 24th November)
On Wednesday evening we farewelled our Year Ten students from the St Peter’s community with a lovely Rite of Passage liturgy.  Below is an excerpt from the Principal’s address.

On 4th August this year NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccolo announced that the out dated School Certificate will be replaced from 2012, his brief statement forever embedding the class of 2011 as the last group to sit the School Certificate.

With this being the final year then of the School Certificate it would be easy for you to sit here and wonder what has been the point of my schooling up to this point. Has everything that I have worked towards this year become redundant?

Year Ten, your schooling has been about the process, the learning, the often unexpectedly outcomes that form and shape your thinking and who you are.  It has never solely been about the credential that you receive at the end. 

Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple Computers and Co-Founder of Pixar animation passed away last month.  Jobs was, by his own definition, “a college drop-out”.   Yet he became one of the most successful business men of the 21st Century.  

Jobs came from working class parents who struggled to put him through college.  So instead of enrolling in college so he could get a degree, he just slept on the dorm room floor of his friends and attended whatever lectures took his fancy.  He credits much of what he stumbled into, by following his curiosity and intuition, as information that proved priceless later in life. He shared the following example with the graduating class of Stanford University in his 2005 address.

The College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand drawn. Because I didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them.
Year Ten, for Steve Jobs, his schooling was never about the credential at the end.  He did not graduate.  For him education was about the process, the learning, the often unexpectedly outcomes that form and shape your thinking and who you are.

Your parents, as your primary educators, and the school systems that you have enjoyed since kindergarten have played an essential part in your formation.  As you leave St Peter’s as young men and women, the responsibility of your ongoing formation begins to swing to you.  As your time with us finishes and you look to fresh challenges and different pathways, I hope you take the time to look back at the past four years.  In coming years you will need to make many decisions, some short term, some life changing, you will be presented with injustice in many areas of your life. I hope your experiences here at St Peter’s help shape and guide you to make thoughtful, appropriate and balanced decisions that help shape our world.

We have come together this evening for your rite of passage, as we have come together many times for liturgies during your four years at St Peter’s.  However, the challenge all along has not just been how we come together to pray but how we live this prayer daily.  As a Eucharistic people it is our daily encounters that bring life to the gospel message. 

What is important is who you are, not what you know. In our Gospel this evening, the parable of the Lamp, Jesus says “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light”.

Year Ten, this light has been lit in you, now you need to take it and shine brightly.  Your future lies ahead waiting to be created, who you become and the impact you make is up to you. My hope is that each of you has become a person of substance, compassion and integrity.  If so we have truly succeeded, in time you will realise that it is no accident, these qualities exist in you because you have formed a deep underlying belief in our shared gospel values. 
Peace be with you and God Bless Year 10 2011

Digital Education Revolution (Added 19th August)
Technology is the lens through which our children experience the world, hence, access to technology, both at home and at school, is an essential tool for 21st century learning and life.   Educational research has shown that a technology rich environment provides greater opportunities for students and better prepares them to successfully face higher education coursework, career challenges and a globally competitive workforce.

From 2012, in association with the Federal Government’s Digital Education Revolution (DER) program, St. Peter’s Campus, Maitland will introduce 1:1 take-home personal computers (laptops) to all students in Year 10.  Likewise, our students currently in Year 10 2011 will receive 1:1 take-home laptops in Year 11 2012 from St Mary’s Campus, Maitland.  The roll-out will continue at both schools in the following years with all students in Years 10, 11 and 12 taking part from 2013.
Rather than provide a basic ‘netbook’ style laptop to students we believe they require a laptop that will support their technology needs through Year 12 and beyond.  To achieve this, an annual parent contribution of $120 per year* will be required to provide students with a high quality laptop (retail value $2500), software, insurance etc.  This represents excellent value to parents.  Still, we are very conscious of the impact introducing an additional cost burden on families wishing to educate their children in a Catholic school

Catholic schools in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese have proved themselves to be outstanding communities of learning and faith. It is hoped that this initiative will continue to position our schools as centres of excellence and innovation, where every student can embrace the future with confidence and hope.

 

Guys and Doll- The Musical (Added 23rd June)
WOW….. Last night I had the pleasure of watching the St Peter’s Musical Guys and Dolls.  The energy of the performances, the number of students involved and the talents that your children possess are simply amazing. 

I am sure that parents of students who participated would have been extremely proud of their children and I know that the children truly do appreciate the time and energy that you invest to give them the opportunity to perform.  Congratulations to all involved, I have included a complete list of students below.

Those talents need to be drawn together and a special thankyou must go to the teachers for their dedication and professionalism in putting together such an amazing show.  While it is easy for me to turn up on the evening and see the final product, I know that there were countless hours of arrangement and then choreography that have gone into the final product.  The majority of these hours are outside the teaching schedule of the department and include both evening and weekends.  It is a big commitment to give up so much sacred family time to be here with our students but our students, and our school, are all the richer for it.  Thankyou to Mrs Burgess (Director and Musical Director), Mrs Pockran (Musical Director), Mrs Wakely (Co-Director and Choreographer), Mrs Mavros (vocals, sound and lighting), Mr Crawford (piano), Mr Fitzgerald (Stage Manager) Mrs Cornwall (Choreographer), Mrs Chapman (Ticket Sales), Mrs Holly (Media), Mrs Heath and Mrs Carter (programme design) and Mr Gato and Mr Lambkin (set design and construction)

The learning that takes place within classrooms is extremely important at all schools; however, it is often what happens around a school outside of the classrooms that gives a school its spirit and soul.  This week our staff and students showed that St Peter’s has plenty of both spirit and soul.

A special thankyou to those who worked behind the scenes to make the night such a success, many students worked behind the scenes in sound and lighting areas, as backstage crew and the media team was also present to record the evening. 

 

Who do you listen to? (Added 23rd May)
One of the main media stories during April was the frantic tussle between Newcastle and the South Sydney to sign the current St George-Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett.  During the holidays I took the time to re-read Wayne’s book “Don’t let the music die in you”.  The book is a great read and unlocks some of the mystery around his enormous success as a coach.  It tells not of drills and techniques particular to the sport of Rugby League but is a series of stories and anecdotes.  He writes about loyalty and team spirit, the value of self-confidence and being honest with oneself, being humble and leadership.  He writes about these things because they are the keys to longevity as a coach in sport.  He is not the most technical coach in the game and there is some suggestion that he allows others to take on this role in his club, but he is an amazing mentor and role model for the players under his care.

In one chapter titled “Who do you listen to, Wayne talks about self esteem and who people listen to shape their self belief, self worth and self esteem.  There are so many sources of advice available to children in today’s society, media, peers, entertainment, music, to name a few, that it can be hard for children to decide who to listen to and who to ignore.  Wayne talks about the need to listen to “achievers” as a source of advice, he describes achievers as people who have walked the path which you are undertaking successfully.  The importance being that they know the consequences, have made the mistakes, have learnt the lessons and understand the impact of their choices.  In our life these people are our parents and our teachers.

Some on my favourite quotes from the book include
“Listening is the art of communication”
“It’s not what you say that counts, it’s what they hear”
“Don’t stop three steps short.  These three steps won’t make any difference fitness wise but those three steps make all the difference to your psyche.  Its when you are tired and crumpled and knocked down that your character is really measured”
“We only fail when we give up trying”
When you are tired and worn out are you a quitter or do you 

Bennett, W. (2001) Don’t let the music die in you Crawley and Associates ABC Books,

 

Easter Reflection: (Added 20th April 2011)
He was born in an obscure village from which he never ventured more than two hundred miles.  Today, the town is known by many throughout the world and many travel from afar to visit it in his honour.

He never wrote a book or went to college.  Today perhaps the most famous book of all time tells his life story and the globe is scattered with educational institutions dedicated to his teachings.

He never visited a big city or held office.  Today there is a whole sovereign state that oversees his legacy.

He never owned a house, married or had a family.  Today his house stands with steeple across much of the world.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race, and the leader of mankind’s progress.  All the armies that ever marched, all the natives that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reign, put together…. have not effected the life of people as much as that …… One Solitary Life.

 

Year 7 2012 Enrolments: (added 20th March 2011)

Parents wishing to enrol children at St Peter’s for Year 7 2012, who do not go to a catholic primary school are asked to contact the office and request an enrolment pack to be sent out.  The official enrolment period open on Monday 28th March and on this date enrolment packs will be sent out to families on the list.  The enrolment period runs until the 1st June.  Enrolments received by this date will be considered by the enrolment committee when they meet early in June.

Children who attend a local feeder catholic primary school will receive an enrolment form through their primary school. 

Should parents have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact the main office.

HSC RESULTS: (Added 20th February 2011)
Last week a number of ex St Peter’s students were awarded with Medals for placing first in the Diocese in
2010 HSC Courses. These students were:
Samuel Buttenshaw - Chemistry, Geography, Physics and Studies of Religion 1
Kaitlin Fitzgerald - Society and Culture
Benjamin Gleeson - Engineering Studies
Brigid Hall - English Extension 1
Sandra Kinloch - Information Process & Technology
Madeline Lewis - Drama and English Extension 1
Teghan Pleasance - Food Technology and Hospitality
James Towns - English Standard
Samuel Buttenshaw was also awarded the 2010 Dux of the Diocese for gaining the highest ATAR score in the Diocese - 99.80. This is the second year in a row a student from St Peter’s has been awarded the Dux of the Diocese after Grace Butel-Simoes was awarded the 2009 Dux of the Diocese.
Congratulations to these students on these outstanding results, they are only achieved through dedication and application throughout their schooling. It is also an accolade for the staff at their various primary schools, St Peter’s and St Mary’s. These staff have shared their expertise and wisdom and supported these students at various stages of their education

Building Development