MAITLAND All Saints College, St Peter's Campus (2012) - Catholic ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Messages from Key School Bodies Principal St Peter’s Campus is a part of All Saints College, a three campus College comprising two junior 7-10 campuses and a senior 11-12 campus. St Peter’s is a 7-8 stream Catholic, co-educational, systemic school catering for 840 students. 2012 will be widely remembered as a year of change within our school setting. Our Year Ten students were the first to matriculate in the post-School Certificate era and consequently became eligible for the new Record of School Achievement (ROSA) credential. As a group they also became the first cohort to benefit from the Diocesan Student Laptop Program. While still in its infancy, this initiative has the potential to significantly change the way learning is delivered to our students as we prepare them for the world beyond school. Our 2012 liturgical theme was “Eyes Open Hearts Burning”. The phrase “Eyes Open Hearts Burning” is drawn from the bible story of the disciples who do not recognise Jesus as he joins them on the journey to Emmaus. The story from Luke’s gospel tells us that they do not recognise Jesus but walked the journey with him and then invited him to join them and share a meal. It is not until he joins them for supper and breaks bread with them, that they recognise him as Jesus. The challenge for us in this phrase is to open our eyes and awaken to the experiences and challenges that surround us daily. The challenge is to be inclusive of all in our community just as the disciples were to the unknown Jesus. In 2012 our school community did this particularly well and the students generously supported a number of worthwhile causes including CARITAS, MAPS (Marist Asia Pacific Solidarity), Catholic Mission and St Vincent De Paul. While there have been many significant liturgical celebrations during 2012, undoubtedly the most memorable was the St Peter’s Day Mass and Fete held during Term Two. The students are the heart of any school and at St Peter’s our students make it an absolute privilege to attend school each day. I thank them for the manner in which they work with staff, with each other and within the broader community. Thank you also to the staff of St Peter’s. Their wonderful and generous giving spirit provides our students with many opportunities both within and outside the classrooms. These opportunities enrich their time here at St Peter’s and enhance the learning that takes place within the school. The 2012 Parents and Friends Association has been a group of service. I thank them for their generous support of the school over the course of the year and for the wonderful insight they provided in many matters that the executive raised for their discernment. It is an absolute privilege to work with such a dedicated group of parents. The following report reflects some of the general highlights of the students of St Peter’s during 2012. I commend the St Peter’s Annual Report to you. Copies of this report will be available to all members of the school community via the school’s website and are also available at St Peter’s for anyone interested. P & F All Saints College - St Peter’s Campus has a dedicated group of Parents and Carers who meet on the 3 rd Tuesday of every month. The role of the P & F is to work in partnership with the school, teachers, staff and the Maitland Regional Pastoral Council. We actively foster relationships by providing opportunities for parents, carers, Parish members, staff and teachers to meet informally throughout the school year. We provide information to our school community via the St. Peter's school newsletter and the P & F provides a forum to brainstorm ideas and provide feedback to collaborate with teachers and staff from a parent/carer and Parish perspective. We started the year by welcoming our Year 7 parents and students at the P & F hosted Welcome BBQ and supported our teaching and ancillary staff by acknowledging them on World Teachers Day. As a result of our meetings, in 2012, the P & F contributed to the design of the Assessment Policy, took part in discussions concerning curriculum changes, supported the school in its endeavours to save money by emailing the school newsletter to parents, and were part of the discussions surrounding contemporary learning and the school vision for changes to teaching and learning. The P&F also provided funds to support the purchase of water coolers for student use, supported the successful Science & Engineering program and provided funds for students to attend the Outward Bound program. By encouraging closer parent/carer/Parish/teacher and staff relationships, the students benefit by a more consistent approach to their learning and development. The P & F continue to run community building activities for interested parents. A N N U A L S C H O O L R E P O R T 2 0 1 2 2
Student Leaders/SRC During 2012, the Student Representative Council (SRC) continued to provide an important link between students and teachers in the school community. It consists of two elected members from each year, plus the four Year 10 School Leaders. This panel of twelve met three to four times each term, at different venues- sometimes off-site at the Regional Art Gallery. Discussing, planning and introducing many new ideas as well as continuing old traditions such as planning a school social. Throughout the year the SRC also supported a number of fundraising activities, including support for Bandana Day, Project Compassion, St Vincent de Paul and Caritas. The SRC were invited by, and worked with, the Principal to review the Draft Assessment Policy. The SRC developed leadership, teamwork and communication skills and developed a greater understanding and appreciation of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes by the staff and students at St Peter’s. They were a highly motivated and mature group of young men and women. Religious Dimension and Culture of School Life Catholic Identity St Peter’s Campus, being a part of All Saints College, began in 1991 and is a Catholic school which, through liturgy and various spiritual experiences, seeks to stress the importance of tradition and identity in a Christian community. Prayer is a vital and visible part of school life, as is the creation of Sacred Spaces in each Tutor Group. Our Catholic identity is evident through our care for one another and care for our students and parents. The School as part of Parish and Diocesan Life The St Peter’s school community has students who belong to the parishes of Maitland, East Maitland, Rutherford, Kurri Kurri, Beresfield and Raymond Terrace. There are a number of staff and students actively involved in the life of their parishes in various ministries. Some of these students are involved in the Activ8 Youth Groups at East Maitland and Largs and the presentation of the vibrant liturgy at the Sunday evening Mass at St Joseph’s, East Maitland. The lives of our parish priests are very busy. Wherever possible we involve priests in the school through committees, retreats, Year 10 Graduation Mass, Awards Night, Eucharistic celebrations and liturgies. We are thankful for their involvement, their time and commitment to the continuing development of our faith within our school. Class masses have continued throughout 2012 with Years 7 and 8 having the opportunity of sharing a Eucharistic celebration as part of a parish mass. In addition, Year 10 Retreat groups were able to celebrate a Post retreat Eucharistic celebration of their retreat experiences. Teaching of Religi ous Studies St Peter’s follows the mandatory Diocesan K-12 Religion Syllabus. As a 7-10 Catholic school, we follow the Stage 4 and 5 section of the Syllabus. The same unit of work is studied at the same time by all classes in each year. During the course of the year, four Assessment Tasks are given to measure the level of achievement in the various outcomes of particular units and results are recorded on the Semester One and Semester Two Reports. Teachers have access to the Religious Studies resources for each unit and this assists the teaching and learning during the year. In addition, there are many resources, both text and technological, to assist the classroom teachers in providing the best teaching and learning environment for students. The ICT “Understanding Faith” series has continued to be developed as a teaching and learning strategy to enhance existing units. Support structures are in place to assist new teachers of Religious Studies. The possibility of regular meetings of Religious Studies Year teams allows for greater sharing of ideas and resources and further support of new teachers of Religious Studies. With available smart boards, classroom computers and data projectors in the school, the teaching and learning has the capacity to embrace 21st century learning. Inservice was again seen as a priority in 2012. With the implementation of the revamped 7-10 Religious Studies syllabus (in Years 7 and 8 in 2012), emphasis was given to the support of the teachers through regular inservice provided by Anne Heaney – Secondary Officer, from the Catholic Schools Office. Inservice was also provided in late 2012 for those teachers teaching Religious Studies in 2013 in Years 7-9. This assisted with the demands of the revamped syllabus. It proved very successful, and will continue further in 2013. Religious Literacy has become an important focus in the Catholic schools of our diocese as a result of the Bishops’ document “Catholic Schools at a Crossroads”. In 2012 the unit “Called to Act Justly” was studied by all Year 8 students in our diocese and a common written task was completed. Likewise, Year 10 students across the Maitland – Newcastle Diocese sat for a 50 question multiple choice task which examined their knowledge and skills studied in Years 9 and 10. The Religious Literacy testing will continue in 2013, in both years, under a similar format. A N N U A L S C H O O L R E P O R T 2 0 1 2 3
Page 1: 2012 Annual School Report All Saint
Page 5 and 6: Student Welfare The Pastoral Care d
Page 7 and 8: Special Provisions (Secondary Schoo
Page 9 and 10: Sporting Achievements St Peter’s
Page 11 and 12: Financial Information The following

MAITLAND All Saints College, St Peter's Campus (2012) - Catholic ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?