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MOTHER’S DAY
I hope our Mums have enjoyed yesterday being spoiled by their loved ones. I also hold in my prayers and thoughts those of you for whom Mother’s day can bring some sadness. This prayer I pray for you.
CROSS COUNTRY FEEDBACK - BE PROUD!!
Last Tuesday our Cross Country team competed against other schools in our district. We competed well finishing 3rd overall with details of all results listed further down in this newsletter. This was not the unusual part. The unusual part is that we did what is always expected from students at St Peter’s but others noticed it.
Every child who crossed the finish line whether first or towards the end was cheered by their school and by the students of St Peter’s. We did this all day. When they presented the trophies at the end of the day the schools of the winners cheered as did our students. When the school results were announced the relevant school cheered and were joined enthusiastically by our students. On more than one occasion our staff and students were asked why we cheered other schools. The answer, it is what we do.
On the day of the Cross Country I received an email from one of our parents who is employed as a PE teacher in another school.
Hi Michael
I would just like to give some feedback about the children from St. Peter's who attended the Bentleigh District Cross Country today. They were an absolute credit to your school. They encouraged not only their own school mates but all who participated from all the schools in the various races with genuine and enthusiastic cheering regardless of their placing in the race. I was extremely proud to be associated with the school as a parent and teacher from the Trinity.
Well done St. Peter's!
I am not a Principal who tells children competing against other schools that the main thing is that they have fun. When our children compete I remind them of our expectation that they do their best, as individuals and as teams. It is important to try and win but it is more important to win or to lose with class and style. Our Cross Country team did this and for this we should all be very proud. Parents, staff and fellow students alike. The team will be brought before our school at our next assembly to congratulate and thank them.
When people ask me about the results at St Peter’s I am proud to share our Academic results but I am very proud to share the success our students show in being amazing citizens. We should never forget this goal amongst all the others.
EXTENDED ABSENCES
A reminder that if your child/children will be absent from school for 5 days or more, you are required to inform me in writing of the dates your child/children will be absent one month prior to the absence. Please note that this is a legal requirement.
DAY ABSENCES
If your child/children are sick or have an appointment and will be absent for either a full day or morning you are required to call the school first thing in the morning of the absence and leave a message on the absence line or email the class teacher and cc the Office. This must be done for every day your child is absent. At 9.30am a text message will be sent to parents of children who have unexplained absences. The new SchoolZine App may also be used to advise the school of day absences but not for 5 days or more as for holidays. Please do not advise the school of an absence days in advance only on the day of the absence.
HELPING KIDS FEEL GOOD BY DOING GOOD BY DR. JUSTIN COULSON
As a school we subscribe to Parenting Ideas. Cat Noble our Wellbeing leader chooses appropriate articles and includes them in her section of the newsletter each fortnight. They take a couple of minutes to read and always have a couple of tips to assist us in being the best parents we can be. Cat brought to my attention this article which follows on from my comments in the last newsletter about kindness. Please take the time to have a read.
Please click on the Link below to read the article.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8IsZ9pU28TqMXJCbkdlMmZUdGMwdkJKQUc3a1NFcWlqdGFr/view?usp=sharing
MOTHERS DAY BREAKFAST - Why the week after?
I have been asked by a couple of families as to why we hold our Mother’s day and Father’s day breakfasts a week after the day. The reason is that many of our families also have children at Secondary Schools and breakfasts clash. Having it a week later extends the celebration for our families and prevents parents having to choose.
PRIVILEGE OF PRINCIPALSHIP
School Tours - As we continue our tours for our 2020 Prep intake I have been very proud of the Year 6 students who have accompanied these tours providing prospective parents with the opportunity to hear about our school from our senior students. They have done a great job.
Year 5 Camp - I recently had the privilege of attending the Year 5 Camp at Portsea. It was a pleasure to spend time with a very well mannered, respectful group. I was impressed with the number of students who pushed themselves outside of their comfort zone to attempt challenges put before them. They should all be very proud of themselves. I also wish to thank the teachers and other staff who take time away from their own family to provide this opportunity for our students.
2019 Easter Handwriting Competition
HANDWRITING COMPETITION WINNERS
Congratulations to our Handwriting winners. Their work is currently on our new 'Presented With Pride' display board in the foyer. Thank you to Helen Groves for organising this opportunity for these students to shine.
Year 2
1st Place - Jewel Roby
Honourable Mention - Dan Newton and Sophie Lentine
Year 4 1st Place - Lauren Fitzpatrick and Eliza Forster
Honourable Mention - Mitchell Plozza
Year 5
1st Place - Riana Tzolakis and Quinn Villanueva
Honourable Mention - Mary Nguyen
STUDENT SUCCESS
Emily Crosswell (1GS) was presented with two trophies for her athletics season:
- U7 Girls PB champion (equal)
(Most personal bests across the season in her age group)
- U7 Girls overall champion
(And within that Sprints champion, throws champion and jumps runner up)
Congratulations Emily!
Congratulations to the following students on celebrating their Reconciliation: Millie Lane, Siera Verderosa, Bianca De Filippis, Denis Vranesic, Max Agrimi, William Haydon, Harper Quinnell, Tara Loukos
Will this enhance God’s love or enhance the notion of hatred?
Last Friday I participated in a Professional Development day on the framework Friendology. This is a program/framework to assist children in dealing with their friendships and relationships. Am I in a healthy friendship or am I in an unhealthy relationship. It was a very thought provoking day.
The day continued to help me reflect on how we as a community relate to one another.
In many ways people today are no different to people of yesterday. People continue to say nasty things about other people.
The big difference today is that social media creates an immediate response.
I ask myself the questions, Are we a more accepting community than we were 50 years ago? 20 years ago? 5 years ago?
What we do have now is the immediate apology response of, “I apologise if I offended anyone with my statement. I did not mean to offend anyone”. Well the fact you made the statement means you may offend. Apologising does not get you off the hook.
Recently we have had Israel Folou supposedly quoting the bible. His social media piece basically offended every person on this planet. Folau’s supporters say he was just quoting from the Bible, but this is no excuse for spreading such hatred.
My major problem with Folau’s statement is that he is NOT quoting the bible. Nowhere in the bible does his statement exist. Folou is NOT a theologian and would have been better off leaving such statements to those who know and understand the bible.
Then yesterday we had this piece in the Herald Sun. A very powerful article but also a very sad article.
What we have now is anonymous behaviour. People hide behind anonymity to post their true thoughts of hatred.
Mark Robinson on AFL 360 has said that he has become disillusioned with humanity. I would tend to agree with him. But my difference is that I believe we are better than this.
The three motto’s of our Federation are: In God we Live, Inspired by Faith and Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them.
These three motto’s are summed up in the statement, Welcome, respect and support all people as unique individuals.
One of my biggest worries for our children is that we instil in them a love of others and an acceptance of others. What hope do we have when they hear and read the opposite?
I can only control what I see, hear and say. One way we can assist our children is by helping them to understand that they are made in the image and likeness of God. That all people are made in the image and likeness of God. We must teach that we all have a choice in what we say about another people. Perhaps the reflective questions for us all is that before we say anything ask ourselves, Will this enhance God’s love or enhance the notion of hatred?
I know I am not perfect but I know that I always want to enhance God’s love in our world.
Edward Dooley (Mission and Faith Leader)
‘Downright disgusting: The comments I face daily’
Sabrina Frederick
May 6, 2019 1:58pm
‘Go play a women’s sport if you can’t handle the attention.’
‘You wanted equal rights sweetheart don’t cry when it’s too even.’
‘Sorry girls, men do it better.’
These are just some of the belittling, misogynist and downright disgusting social media comments that sportswomen face daily.
And as a female footy player, migrant, and woman of colour in a same sex relationship, I have copped quite a bit of nasty abuse online — and nothing in the snippets above are out of the ordinary.
According to new research released by Plan International, 23 per cent of all negative comments towards sportswomen were sexist in nature, while 20 per cent demeaned women’s athletic abilities and skills. I’d love to say that I was surprised by those findings, but unfortunately, online abuse directed at female athletes has become par for the course.
Richmond AFLW player Sabrina Frederick has copped horrible abuse since her career first began. Picture: David Crosling
I was just 19 years old when I was first drafted to the Brisbane Lions for the inaugural AFLW season.
Fresh faced, optimistic and with a new-found platform, I was excited that someone who looks like me could share positive messages on social media with other aspiring young female players.
I was excited that young girls from all cultural backgrounds would continue to see themselves reflected in the AFL dream and I felt and continue to feel, incredibly privileged to be doing my bit.
For the most part, I enjoy engaging with my fans on social media — sharing the highs and lows of my life and career, and inspiring others to follow their dreams.
What I wasn’t prepared for was the disgusting underbelly of the social media world — the one where keyboard warriors who don’t know you, choose to post the most horrifically vile stuff without fear of consequence, and often with the comfort of anonymity.
Sabrina Frederick was just 19 when she first began playing in the AFLW professionally. Picture: AAP Image/Josh Woning
In the beginning, I would monitor each post and read every single negative comment about me. I would spend hours scrolling and then contemplating on whether or not I should respond.
When a troll would come to my account and comment that women were ‘useless athletes’ on one of my images, or that we were ‘too fat and slow’, or that we should ‘get back in the kitchen’ — it hurt. All I ever tried to be was the best version of myself. To be ripped to shreds by complete strangers certainly felt disempowering.
Although the internet has permitted online trolls to multiply hateful, sexist and uninformed information, it can also be a powerful tool for good.
After Tayla Harris copped a barrage of sexualised and misogynist abuse on a photo of her doing her job, she also received an overwhelming amount of support from fans, teammates and the broader online community. Not only did Tayla’s image go viral, it has become a symbol of change. It is bigger than Tayla and bigger than the sport itself.
Carlton AFLW player Tayla Harris copped a barrage of abuse after a powerful image of her performing on-field was shared to social media. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL
While the moment is still fresh, together we need to channel our outrage and work to address what is driving these negative attitudes and behaviours.
What we know from the research is that all women can be the target of abuse and it is not always confined to the internet. Regardless of where it happens, these disrespectful attitudes and behaviours don’t occur in a vacuum.
They’re perpetuated by a culture that allows gender inequality and harmful gender stereotypes to continue, which means we all play a role in cutting it off at the source.
As an ambassador for national youth campaign, The Line, I want to encourage young people to be true to themselves and not be deterred from chasing their dreams.
Yes, there is still a long way to go but it’s definitely something to keep striving for.
Sabrina Fredrick plays for Richmond in the AFLW and is an ambassador for The Line.
Thank you to those parents who have provided some really positive feedback on the new Parent Engagement Platform. We will continue to add to it as we receive that feedback. You will notice on the side bar of the eNewsletter we have added a tab – ‘School Polices’ as parents have asked where to find them. We have only put the relevant ones for parents but if there is something not there that you think should be added please just email me and we can upload it if needs be.
On the Schools Policies Page, we have the updated version of our Federated Schools Privacy Policy and Standard Collection Notice. These have recently been updated to reflect the use of digital data and to cover the use and/or disclosure of personal information in relation to the Catholic Education Melbourne School Improvement Surveys (CEMSIS).
We have begun to use the App and will increase the use in coming weeks so I urge all parents to download it. You will receive notification from us when the eNewsletter is published and when other important items or events need to be communicated.
If you haven’t yet I ask that all staff download the app for St Peter’s - http://www.schoolzine.com/szapp - all the instructions can be found here or just go to the app store / google playstore and search SZapp then download and pick region and type in school name.
Michael Juliff
Co-Ordinating Principal
St Catherine’s, St Paul’s & St Peter’s
Bucket Filler Award
Congratulations to Jaiden Lovell in 1CO. Jaiden was nominated by some Year 6 students. They spotted him being kind and helpful to a peer. What a wonderful bucketfiller you are, Jaiden!
Ride/Walk 2 School
Our first Walk and Ride2School day in Term 2 will be held this Wednesday, 15th May!
We will be celebrating National Walk Safely to School Day. Now in its 20th year, National Walk Safely to School Day is designed to encourage children to walk and travel safely to school.
Remember…
- Walking to school is good for the environment
- Walking helps develop a healthy body and a healthy mind
- Children up to 10 years old should hold an adult’s hand or be actively supervised) when crossing the road
Wellbeing Warriors
During lunchtimes, our students have the opportunity to attend one of many Lunchtime Clubs on offer, Wellbeing Warriors. Wel
This lunch time club gives students the opportunity to socialise with different groups of children, practice mindfulness and getting away from the busyness of home and school life by coming into a quiet space to enable them to focus on themselves.
At St Peter's we have been fortunate enough to have local businesses support the Wellbeing Warriors Program by providing us mini yoga and pilates sessions. Some of the other activities in the past include mindfulness colouring in, gratitude letters and art and craft activities such as making worry dolls and dream catchers just to name a few.
Students will be told each week what the focus of the session is and all students are welcome to attend any of the sessions. Last week we had 110 students attend our mindfulness colouring in session.
Cost Usually $37 but FREE for parents in our school community!
| Ruby | Evans | 4PJ | 3rd |
| Mia | Bates | 4PJ | 5th |
| Matthew | Logan | 5GM | 3rd |
| Daisy | Nousis | 5GM | 1st |
| Joshua | Caltabiano | 5SH | 7th |
| Matilda | Houniet | 5PH | 3rd |
| Madison | Silver | 6RD | 3rd |
A big thank you to Sarah Logan for assisting with all our training and to the teachers who gave up their time to assist - Andrea Crough, Sam Stasiak, Sean Hanrahan, Cate Sanders and Peter Hurst.
SAVE THE DATE
Mother’s Day Breakfast - Friday, 17th May
Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea – Friday 31st May
Trivia Night - Saturday, 22nd June
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all our Mums. We hope you had a lovely day with your families.
Mother’s Day Stall - Friday, 10th May
Thank you to Angie Leontaritis and Savanna Quinnell for co-ordinating the Mother’s Day Stall this year and to all the volunteers who helped at the stall and with the set up. Also a big thanks to Sasha & Eloise our Year 6 runners who did an amazing job of getting all classes to the stall. The children had a great time finding the perfect gift for their Mum!
Year 4 - 6 Movie Night - Friday, 10th May
Thank you to Amanda Phillips for organising this event and a special thanks to Mick Schinck, Chris Joplin and Justin McCarthy for all your help in making this event a great night for the children.
Mother’s Day Breakfast- Friday, 17th May
The Dads of St Peter’s are once again putting together a Mother’s Day Breakfast to spoil our Mums.
Please note the breakfast is the Friday after Mother’s Day, so we don’t clash with the Secondary Schools who do Mother’s Day Breakfast.
Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea – Friday May 31st
Trivia Night- Saturday, 22nd June
Lights, Camera, Action!
The St Peter’s P&F is rolling out the red carpet for our 2019 Trivia Night!
An email will follow with more information about the Trivia Night.
Bookings can be made at the School Office from today. Details as follows:
$25 Per Person
Groups of 10-12 per table
Cash door prize to be won
Prizes for best dressed
Lots of games, silent auction items, lucky keys & envelopes.... and trivia!!
While the night is always lots of fun, the night is also our biggest fundraiser for the year! In 2019 the P&F plans to use the money we raise towards creating an engaging play space for our students, between the Junior School Building and the Main School Building!
Our Trivia Night Committee are still busy sourcing donations and seeking sponsors, so if you own or know of a business who would like to make a donation or become a sponsor, it’s not too late to get involved!
Please send us an email to pnf1@spbentleigheast.catholic.
St Peter’s Family Cookbook
Last week you will have received information and a recipe template to contribute recipes to the St Peter’s Cookbook.
It will feature chapters such as Appetisers, Mains and Sweets as well as Family Dinners, Weekend Entertaining and Lunch-box Ideas. Do you have a recipe handed down through the generations? Is there something that your children love to make on the weekend? Do you have a quick and easy go-to meal during the week?
Please remember to either fill in the template or attach a copy of your recipe(s) to the form and post it to the box in the office, or alternatively email your recipe(s) to spcookbook2019@gmail.com by Friday, 31st May 2019.
We look forward to creating something the school community can be proud of and celebrating the rich diversity of families and their food at St Peter’s.
Next 2 P&F Meetings – Monday, 27th May - 7.00pm - All Welcome (Meeting Room off the Breezeway)
Then Monday, 24th June
Please send us an email on the address below if you have any questions or suggestions regarding the P & F.
pnf1@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au
We also have a Facebook Page. Follow us on
https://www.facebook.com/St-Peters-Primary-School-Bentleigh-East-Parents-Friends-388657947987381/
Thank you
P & F Committee
On Wednesday 1st of May Year 5 and the Year 5 teacher's set of to go to Portsea Camp. When we got to school we got on the bus and all our parents were there to say goodbye. As we were on the freeway there was a sign that said, portsea was 34 kilometers away, when we saw the sign everybody got even more excited. After a long bus drive we were in Portsea and ready to have some fun. First we unPacked the bus. There was a nice lady named Alice. She talked to us about where our meeting spots were if there was a fire. But lucky enough there were no fires. Once Alice was finished talking to us Mr Mac told us our activity groups and we started doing our activities. My first activity was the flying fox that was so much fun. In no time our first activity was finished. We had our morning tea and went on to do our second activity the giant swing. The giant swing was so so much fun. After our second activity we found out who was in our cabins. We got our cabins and our luggage and found our cabins and started to settle in. We had 20 minutes to muck around in our cabins and before we knew it 20 minutes was up it was time for afternoon tea. We had our afternoon tea and moved on to our 3rd activity gar gar ball and the scavenger hunt. We all ran around the place to find the letter we found the letters and ran back to Mr Hurst and started trying to find the word in the end my group came through and won. We figured out the word was ghost stories. We played a little bit of gar gar ball and before we knew it, it was time to go to our cabins have our showers and get ready for dinner. We got ready and off we went to go to dinner. For dinner we had chicken schnitzel and for dessert we got ice-cream sandwiches they were so good.
After dinner we had a disco we all had so much fun. After the disco we were all so tired, so Mr Dooley ran us through a quick meditation and off we went to bed. We all woke up bright and early ate our breakfast and by 9 o'clock we had started our 1st activity for the day which was beach games. We played lots of fun games and had so much fun. After our first activity we had morning tea and then went off to our second activity hut building. was girls vs boys you had to build a hut that was water proof and stable unfortunately the boys won but the girls still did an amazing job. Before we knew it it was time for afternoon tea. We had our food and got back in our groups. It was my group’s turn to do raft building so we quickly got changed into our bathers and off we went to the beach. We got to the beach and found out that it was girls vs boys again. The girls were fired up and ready to redeem ourselves so we fought hard and ended up winning we were so proud and ready for our next activity. The final activity was high ropes we all had a turn and had so much fun by the time we all showered it was time for dinner. For dinner we had lasagna and for dessert we had ice-cream. After dinner we went on a night walk down to the beach. By the time we got back it was time for bed we went to bed and woke up the next morning. We packed up our stuff, had breakfast and had until 11 o'clock to play. When the bus came we hopped on and off we went to Sorrento Beach we had lunch at the beach and of we went back home.
Natalya Vayenas 5MG
Day 1.
We all left school at around 9:30am on the bus, no stopping. It took us about one hour, and then, we saw the gates! We unpacked the bus, and headed to our first activity.
My group's activity was high ropes, but unfortunately, I didn’t climb the highest that we could. The second activity for me was flying fox, with my group, group three we all had about three goes. When that finished, we went on the giant swing, (the most thrilling one) and I went to the top. It almost felt like your harness had broken, and that you were just free falling! But you weren’t. After my last activity, the giant swing, we headed to our rooms for about an hour. In my cabin, I had Alix, Olivia, and Charlee. In the room conjoined to ours, there was Frankie, Heather, Maddie, and Aisha. We hung out in our rooms for a while and then we went to dinner.
Group one set up, group two packed up. There was schnitzel, and it was delicious! For dessert, we had an ice cream cake that had ice cream, covered in cake. When group two finished packing up we went to a disco. There was disco lights, upbeat music, and even a DJ! That went for about an hour, and then we went to our rooms, and said goodnight.
Day 2.
The next day we got up and headed to breakfast. I had some toast and cereal. After that we went to our activity. Mine was orienteering, and gaga ball, then beach games, the hut building, and finally, raft building. We hung out in our cabins, and then went for dinner.
Dinner was fantastic. We had lasagna, and ice cream cones. After that we went for a mysterious, nightwalk, where we learned all about Portsea history. We got back at around 8:30 ish and went to sleep.
Day 3.
Morning had come and we went to breakfast. I had cereal and toast. We were lucky that we were allowed some free time to explore the caves and ran around. Then unfortunately, it had finished.
We hopped on the bus and stopped at a beach. Mr. Mac and the teachers took us on a walk down the beach and throw some bushes. We had lunch which the camp had provided us with, and looked at the beautiful beach!
It was amazing to see my family again, but I had missed camp. Overall, my experience was incredible. 100% do it again!
Anais O’Connor 5SH
CANTEEN ROSTER
Week Beginning Monday, 13th May
Wednesday, 15th May - Michelle Monaghan & Sharon Odlum - 1.30pm - 2.15pm
Thursday, 16th May - Leanne Johnson - 1.30pm - 2.15pm
Friday, 17th May - Julie Eyles - 9.00am - 10.30am
Nicki De Lorenzo & Felicity Gallagher - 1.00pm - 2.15pm
_________________________________________________________
Week Beginning Monday, 20th May
Wednesday, 22nd May - Kirsty Lentine & Irene Major - 1.30pm - 2.15pm
Thursday, 23rd May - Michelle Bridges & Nicole Catania - 1.30pm - 2.15pm
Friday, 24th May - Colleen Dowling & Vanessa Lawless- 9.00am - 10.30am
Ana Vranesic, Yvonne Gower & Trudy Fitchett - 1.00pm - 2.15pm
_________________________________________________________
Week Beginning Monday, 27th May
Wednesday, 29th May - Shanell Wood-Bradley - 1.30pm - 2.15pm
Thursday, 30th May - Sophie & Julie
Friday, 31st May - Julie Eyles - 9.00am - 10.30am
Gaby Agrimi, Melissa Webb & Lili Munafo - 1.00pm - 2.30pm
_________________________________________________________
Week Beginning Monday, 3rd June
Wednesday, 5th June - Chris Kell & Joanne Melita - 1.30pm - 2.15pm
Thursday, 6th June - Foula Voukelatos - 1.30pm - 2.15pm
Friday, 7th June - Julie Eyles & Amanda O'Connor - 9.00am - 10.30am
Emma O'Connor, Monique D'Zilva & Maree Deeth - 1.00pm - 2.15pm
Please click on the link below to view the updated Canteen Price List
Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers will be available from Woolworths Stores from 1st May to 25th June. A single Sticker will be given to a customer with every $10 spent in a single transaction at Woolworths Supermarkets, Woolworths Metro and Woolworths Online (www.woolworths.com.au).
ST. PETER'S FOODBANK
St. Peter’s Primary School Food Bank was established in 2013 with families volunteering to cook meals for other families in the school community during a time of need. Whether there is illness, hospitalisation of a family member, bereavement, the arrival of a new baby, moving house or even if someone is in need of a little extra TLC, the Food Bank can help.
We would like to invite parents to consider becoming one of our volunteer cooks. We anticipate each volunteer would only be required to cook 2-3 times per year. Of course, you are welcome to cook more often if you like.
We also encourage you to think about your friends and classmates at the school and keep the Food Bank in mind if they are going through a tough time. It is a completely confidential service and you can access it through us or through a staff member at St. Peter’s. If you would like more information about the service or volunteering, please download our electronic brochure below.
Thank you to all the volunteers that have cooked for us in the past. We are now looking for some new parents to sign up as volunteers to start cooking for our Food Bank in 2019. We love to have as many volunteers in our Food Bank pool as possible.
If you have not cooked for our Food Bank before, please ensure you email us prior to cooking, at sppsfoodbank@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au, and ask us for a Food Bank information pack.
If you become aware of someone in the school community needing a little help or TLC, please contact us. You can contact us confidentially at: sppsfoodbank@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au or call Karina Clement 0404 057 522 or Katrina Chapman 0488 386 088 (Program Co-ordinators) or your class teacher, school office or Michael Hanney directly.
