Last week a new tradition at St Peters was welcomed — the presentation of Ironbark Badges to formally recognise the completion of an extraordinary outdoor education program seen as a significant Rite of Passage for Year 9 students. Students from 9A, B, C & D were the first groups presented with their Ironbark badges by representatives from the 2018 9A–D groups.

The Multicultural Committee have been part of the St Peters Community for well over ten years celebrating cultural diversity. Part of that cultural celebration is the St Peters Multicultural Week 2019 (29 July to 2 August – Term 3 week 3). The Multicultural Week was a huge success with the Whole of College International Parade of Nations, the Multicultural Gala and International Food Festival/fair. The week-long festival has grown considerably in the last eight years and it is a testament to the dedication of students, teachers and volunteers behind the scenes contributing to its success.

We are all different; individual gifts and talents, diverse backgrounds. We represent different countries, languages, faiths and spiritualties, traditions and customs. Community is a gift. Without the uniqueness in individuals, the community would miss out on your special gifts and talents and on your unique personality.

St Peters Year 6 students are working on an extraordinary project in which they’re investigating the story of a migrant who has come to Australia. In its second year, this project will lead on to the creation of beautiful Virtual Museums to be completed in the following weeks. With help from student leaders, teachers and children’s author Deborah Abela, their research and investigation will bring their migrant story to life. The project also has the potential to further explore and connect with their family’s history.

At St Peters Lutheran College we prepare students for an innovative world—as achievers and leaders. Our staff and teachers collaborate across subjects and disciplines to achieve these objectives. An integral part of that collaboration is our eLearning team, they support students and teachers, from Prep to Year 12, by helping them use technology in effective and meaningful ways in the classroom.

Established at St Peters in 2018, The Rite Journey creates a self development journey for Year 10 students over the course of the year. Using a framework incorporating ceremonies and celebrations, these events help transform teens into self-aware, responsible and resourceful adults. Events are crafted for individual, unique experiences to best suit the resources and geography of the school. The program was developed over a decade ago by Andrew Lines—Teacher, Educational Consultant and co-developer of The Rite Journey.

St Peters Lutheran College has hosted the first face-to-face Australian Ethics Olympiad in a full day of navigating challenging moral issues. The purpose of the Ethics Olympiad is to promote respectful, creative and rigorous discussion of ethics among students within and across school communities. 

St Peters Lutheran College Year 5 students raised $8,000 in donations for the ongoing flood relief effort in Townsville. The Lutheran Church of Australia Queensland Division (LCAQD) will help distribute the money through the Australia DisasterRelief Fund. Donations will go towards targeted funding areas such as playground equipment for an Early Learning Centre, clothing and household goods.

Choosing a University is not something you want to rush into—you need to find the right “fit”. At St Peters Indooroopilly campus, qualified Careers Counsellor Jacqui Estevao, organises sessions to guide students through the process of applying to Universities, both within Australia and overseas. Each year an increasing number of students apply to study in the US, Canada and the UK, along with other smaller countries in Europe and Asia.

The St Peters Career Centre is an incredible asset to the College exploring post-school options including work experience. During the holidays the Career Centre helped Year 11 students develop their work experience in the engineering field. With many pathways laid out before them, and more opportunities than ever before, having an experienced Career Counsellor on hand for advice is invaluable to help guide students.

Australian Adventurer and Mountaineer, Alyssa Azar, was our inspirational guest this week for the St Peters Father Daughter breakfast. Crossing the Kokoda Track at 8-years-old was just the beginning, she has also climbed the highest mountains in Australia, South America, Africa, Russia and Nepal. At 19-years-old, Alyssa was the youngest Australian, and youngest woman, to summit Mount Everest. During breakfast the adventurer discussed her incredible journey to Mount Everest, including the planning and goals she had to make for herself to keep mentally and physically prepared.

A long time ago, in a school far, far away, teachers used to stand and deliver the ‘chalk and talk’ method of teaching. Today immersive, next-generation teaching styles are used to connect with different learning styles. Our blog last week, unpacking the Units of Inquiry via Primary Years Program, is an example of that.

St Peters provides an immersive and exciting learning experience for students beginning with Primary Years. The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) for children nurtures and develops young students as caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning.

The St Peters community works hard to be an inclusive and welcoming community, a place where people from different backgrounds can learn and work together, get to know each other and so overcome prejudices and stereotypes. College Senior Pastor, Thomas Böhmert, reflects on how we can move forward with our families in the shadow of the Christchurch tragedy.

The successful Adopt-a-Boarder Program has begun with over 60 St Peters staff and teachers being involved and adopting boarders.

William Farmer, Managing Director, Dale Carnegie Australia, writes about the advantages for teenagers in learning communication methods to connect with others.

At St Peters we provide goals for children to enhance their lives—whether it’s physical, spiritual or mental—we ensure a holistic approach through the programs we offer. One such program is the acclaimed Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, Australia (DoE).

The term XR means ‘extend reality into the digital realm’ and covers five next-generation storytelling technologies including Virtual Reality (VR). The use of VR being used in the classroom at St Peters is just beginning this year. Read how it has the potential to create an alternative learning experience for teachers and students.

At St Peters we strongly believe in learning experiences for our school community, encouraging all to participate in the opportunities we host throughout the year. The St Peters Soloists String Orchestra embarked on an international music tour of epic proportions, visiting six countries in 20 days. Heather, our St Peters Year 12 student, talks about the remarkable benefits while travelling with her peers.

Building a greenhouse... Breathtaking architecture... Caring for others... Read about this extraordinary trip of a lifetime as Ella, our Year 12 Captain, describes the experience of travelling to Cambodia and Vietnam with her peers.